There are probably millions of gardeners and farmers worldwide. Regardless of their location or culture, they all have one thing in common. In order to grow something, they first have to plant seeds. The same is true with our faith. If we want it to grow, we must be planting seeds of Faith, not something else.
It is a simple, universal law. Seeds produce like kind. Therefore, tomato seeds produce tomatoes. Weed seeds produce weeds. And Faith seeds produce faith.
If planting seeds of faith is a bit of a mystery, you probably have questions:
- What are seeds of faith?
- Is it important to plant seeds of faith?
- How do you plant faith?
- How can I make my faith strong?
These are great questions that deserve an answer so I invite you to keep reading.
The mystery of planting seeds of faith
Do you ever wonder about the mystery of seed sowing? A seed is alive until you plant it. Then it must die- at least its initial form. But that is not the end of the story.
Inside, the seed contains a powerful message. That message, much like our DNA, starts the process of new life.
Yet our human minds find it hard to comprehend that death can bring life.
The power of planting seeds of faith
If you doubt the incredible power of seed sowing, just take a look at abandoned parking lots, sidewalks, and streets.
Tree seeds that find their way into a crack in asphalt can have enough strength to actually break that hard surface. Though the seed was very tiny, they can become massive plants. And as the tree grows, the roots continue to raise the pavement higher and higher.
Something so small can become huge when given the right environment. Likewise, faith seeds can grow into mature, strong Christians.
The importance of planting seeds of faith
We can find the importance of seed sowing in the Bible. Not only can we plant seeds of faith in our own lives, but we can also do the same in the lives of others. This is called evangelism.
Jesus made it clear that planting seeds of faith is important. He gave His disciples a specific command to go everywhere and share the gospel with everyone (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:19-20).
God could have just done the planting Himself. But instead, He chose to make seed sowing a partnership between Himself and us.
What an awesome opportunity. We get to help bring others into the kingdom of God. However, this opportunity also carries great responsibility. God is depending on us to do our part. And when we follow through we discover great purpose and satisfaction in life.
Another important result of planting seeds of faith is “fruit” in our lives. If this concept is new to you, it simply means we become more like Jesus.
Understanding seed planting
Much of seed germination, the dying, and becoming something new is a bit of a mystery. However, we can learn a lot from nature and from the Bible as to how seeds grow into plants.
Nature’s example of planting seeds
Whenever you buy a package of seeds, it comes with instructions:
- How deep to plant the seeds
- How often to water the seeds
- How much sunlight they need
- The importance of removing weeds
- When to expect a harvest
Seeds need tender loving care in order to grow. Much of that comes from us, but the rest comes from God and nature, which is out of our control.
Biblical examples of planting seeds
God established the principle of planting and harvesting from the beginning of time.
“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22
But just like we see in nature, faith seeds need help. They need tender loving care. But that help is only part of the story. The apostle Paul put it this way:
” I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.“
So what are seeds of faith and where do they come from? Jesus spelled it out in the parable of the sower:
“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” Luke 8:11
The Apostle Paul repeats Jesus’ words in the book of Romans when he tells us that faith comes from the word of God. (Romans 10:17)
The parable of the sower also talks about weeds.
“Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.” Luke 8:7
How to plant seeds of faith that grow
So what is our part in planting seeds of faith and nurturing them into maturity?
The Bible is really important in this partnership we have with God. And we are told that Scripture will not return void. In other words, when we plant the word of God in our lives it will grow into something beautiful. So how does that happen?
- Make Bible reading a priority
- Memorizing Scripture
- Watering our seeds of faith
- Pulling weeds that compete with seeds of faith
- Trusting God to make our faith grow
1. Bible reading
If seeds of faith come from God’s word, then we need to make Bible reading a priority.
Have you made Bible reading part of your regular routine? If so, tell us in the comments when you like to read and why that works for you. We all are different, so someone else might benefit from your insights.
Those new in the faith, though, might not know where to begin reading in the Bible. The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are a good place to start. They contain many of the words of Jesus which is like being there when He was teaching.
2. Memorizing Scripture
As we read the Bible, there will be verses that have special meaning to us. It is as if God is speaking directly to us in our very circumstances or needs. These verses are good to memorize because they will be easy to remember when similar circumstances come up again.
Then there are other scriptures that every Christian should know. For instance, verses about the goodness and faithfulness of God. When life gets tough, we can remember that we are not alone. God is always with us. Or, verses about our need for the gift of salvation.
3. Watering our seeds of faith
Next to oxygen, water is the most important physical need of all living things.
There are so many ways that we can nurture the Scriptures that are being planted in our lives.
It is our environment that encourages growth or not. So this would include the music we listen to, the books we read, the social media we engage in, the friends we choose, habits we have, and the places we go to. All should help reinforce what we have been learning from the Bible.
I love these words from a song recorded by the Imperials in 1977.
” … Keep on sharing the love of Jesus, you know that growing comes from planting seeds …” (from the song Bread On The Water)
Years ago whenever I heard this song, it encouraged me to keep on keeping on. Music was a big part of helping my faith grow. But the type of music we listen to can also be detrimental.
So I would encourage you to ask yourself, “Does my music, books, social media, friends, habits, and places I go help or hinder the seeds of faith that are planted in my life?
4. Pulling weeds that compete with seeds of faith
This is a very personal matter because everyone has different things that need to be eliminated from their lives. Once again we have to look at our music, books, and so on.
We also have to look at our attitudes. They can be like invasive weeds in the garden of our lives. Any attitude that is contrary to God’s will can totally destroy seeds of faith. To overcome this weed, we must pray as David did,
“Renew a right spirit with in me.” Psalm 51:10
How are you doing at letting God pull the weeds in your life that want to choke out your faith?
5. Trusting God to make our faith grow
It is clear from Scripture that spiritual growth comes from God. We must not worry about the outcome. Growing takes time. We just need to be responsible, doing our part and leaving the rest to God.
Final thoughts
I like this quote.
“Life is more like planting seeds than buying plants. There’s no shortcuts to a flourishing life.” Crystal Storms
How true. As much as we would like to hurry things along, God is not on our timetable. Slow, steady growth in a plant or in faith brings forth strong, healthy results.
So let’s do it.
Let’s keep planting seeds of faith while trusting God for the growth.
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