The parable of the sower (part 2): The power of the Word

John 1:1ff, “In the beginning was the Word… 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 9 There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world… 11 He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God…” (RV) or, “12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God…” (KJV)

(For the purpose of this posting, bear in mind that the French versions render this passage like this: “In the beginning was the Word… 4 In It was life; and the life was the light of men. 9 There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world… 11It (the Word) came unto Its own, and they that were Its own received It not. 12 But as many as received It, to them gave It the power to become children of God…” 

If nothing is done to a maize seed, it is no more than something with an unused potential; but if sown, it becomes many cobs and therefore, many seeds. 

Hence, the word that God speaks to us contains a potential for life; but like the maize, if it is not planted in a heart, it will produce nothing and will remain sterile. We must therefore receive the Word. And contrary to a generally accepted idea, ‘‘receiving the Word’’ does not make one become a child of God; it only gives the RIGHT, the POWER to become one … 

The Word came to Its/His own: the Bible doesn’t say that those who did not received It/Him, ceased to be its/His; it simply says that to those of ITS/HIS that received It/Him, It/He gave THE POWER to become something more: children of God.

In other words, as long as we do not receive the Word of God, in whichever form that it may come to us, we fail to receive a power: power to grow in the manifestation of the divinity. 

That’s why I said in a previous posting that we really cannot afford the luxury of neglecting what the Lord is telling us. He even warned: “…Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” I can rephrase it as follows: ‘‘Whoever will neglect/despise My words, I will also neglect/despise them when I come back.” 

His words are like the minor details that end up making a significant difference. When an artist is painting, at the beginning, the sketch doesn’t look like anything; but slowly, brushstroke after brushstroke, the painting takes shape and finally becomes a masterpiece. Every word from the Lord is like these brushstrokes: it is indispensable in order to get to the final result. 

I know that this is not very obvious at first glance; but I pray that the message reaches its target, and above all, that everyone enters in the gap that I have opened, in order to try and deepen what I have shared. 

Finally, once the Word has been sown into fertile hearts, one must now: 

1) Water it with praise, worship, thanksgiving etc. and remove any possible weeds that may choke its growth (vigilance, avoidance of doubt, spiritual warfare…) 

2) Wait. When someone plants a seed, they don't go back each day, in order to check how well it’s doing. If one does that, the growth will stop and one will never see the fruits. Similarly, we have to wait for God’s seed in our heart to follow its natural course. Don’t worry, for it would produce beautiful fruits because it is the power of God for the salvation of those who believe. And since it can take months before the harvest, we’d better not wait until December to start receiving the Word of life in our hearts at last. If we want to reap in 2011, it is NOW that we must also allow the Divine Sower to plant in our hearts, the seeds of health, success, prosperity etc. that He’s gone out to sow. 

Let us cherish everything that God tells us. Let us allow His words to become flesh, so that we may behold the glorious and gracious fruits that they would bear in our lives. 

 
God bless you !