The Living Word: A Daily Devotional with Jeff & Dale from The Jenkins Institute

We have come to the end of the week examining the parable of

the growing seed (Mark 4:26-29). As the last devotional about this

parable, I

As we have already seen through this parable of the growing seed

(Mark 4:26-29), the seed, which is the Word of God, is to be sown

on the earth. Like the farmer, we must do our part and take the

time to “spread” the seed all around us. After all, “the harvest is

plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37-38, ESV)

A man was really struggling with patience. He was quick-tempered

and easily flew off the handle at his family and friends. After

talking with his preacher about his struggle, the man was

encouraged to pray for patience. That night, the man decided he

should take the preacher’s advice and pray to be more patient. He

knelt by his bed and began to pray, “Lord, please give me patience

and give it to me right now.”

This week we are examining the parable of the Growing Seed found

in Mark 4:26-29. Yesterday, we saw how the farmer scattered the

seed. Jesus expects His disciples to be people who go about sowing

the seed, the Word of God, in our daily lives. And while this is

something we are called to do, many followers of Christ struggle to

faithfully live out this important commandment.

Jesus loved to tell stories. Those stories called parables were

moments where Jesus took something His hearers were familiar

with and used it to teach a powerful spiritual lesson. In our

Scripture reading today, Jesus used a parable unique to the Gospel

of Mark to teach us the importance of the Word of God in growing

the Kingdom.

We despair the most when hope is lost. In his parable, Ezekiel effectively

declares the end of the Davidic dynasty. It seemed at the time as though

all hope was lost. The prophecy is problematic since God swears that

David will always have a descendant on the throne of Judah (2 Samuel 7).

Zedekiah’s removal and the Babylonian destruction of David’s throne

called God’s truth into question.

The trait of patience is graphically described in biblical Hebrew. To be

“long-suffering” is literally translated “long of nose” (’erek ’apayim). The

apparent image is that heat (a symbol of anger) takes longer to fill large

cavities; thus, people with large noses are calmer. Of course, the

metaphor does not match emotional reality, but that is not the point. God

does not anger easily, but once the he

In his Maxims, the French aristocrat François de La Rochefoucauld wrote,

“We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we

become disguised to ourselves.” The nation of Judah suffered from an

identity crisis. God redeemed them from Egypt (Leviticus 26:45) and

protected them from Assyrian conquest (2 Kings 19:5–37). Yet, they were

ungrateful and sought an international reputation. They gradually

sacrificed their God-given identity to meet the expectations of the world.

As a result, they were destined for destruction (2 Kings 21:10–15).

The French author Montesquieu once quipped, “The best is the mortal

enemy of the good.” We often miss the blessing of the good because we are

searching for something better. People who constantly change jobs, homes,

or vehicles are expressing a deep-seated desire for something different,

hoping to find “the best.” Maybe God is calling us to embrace the good.

Though the vine (Judah) had been planted by the first eagle

(Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon),

The annual World Happiness Report (representing 2024 data) recently

ranked the United States as the 24th happiest country in the world, down

nine slots since 2014 and five slots since 2020. Indeed, 24th is the World

Happiness Organization’s lowest ranking of the U.S. since 2011, when they

began ranking countries.