Growing Gains (Mark 4:26-34)

“They say, ‘It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.’ In this case, it’s not about the blade or the head, it’s about the crop. In the Parable of the Sower we see shoots that came up quickly but bore no fruit. That wasn’t a good thing. God wants fruit in your life, in our church, in this world.

And there are all sorts of different crops God wants to bring out of your life. All sorts of fruits of the Spirit. Just as olives served a different set of purposes than grain did, so each of our lives can glorify God and bring change into this world in a wide variety of ways.

But don’t just be a bag of rich soil. Actually bear fruit. If we were to drive down to any one of the nurseries in town, we would find pallets and pallets of perfectly good soil, bagged up and ready for use. But that soil won’t grow anything unless it’s worked.”