The parable of the sower is one of Jesus’ most famous.

It describes a farmer who sows some seed. The seed represents God’s word—in short, the message of and about Jesus.

Some of that seed falls on a path and some birds quickly eat it up. Some of the seed falls on rocky terrain and doesn’t have the soil to grow. Some of the seed is chocked out by thorns.

Lastly, we hear this: “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times” (Mark 4:8). Later Jesus explains what it means: “Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown” (Mark 4:20).

Considering that a 2 to 5-fold yield would have been normal, that is astoundingly exceptional!

Something that strikes me about this parable is how easy it is to forget what caused the crop in the first place: the seed, God’s word.

I remember when my wife gave birth to our first child. I remember holding our new baby in my arms — staring at her, smiling, crying, worrying, making phone calls, and cherishing. Well, God’s word to us is this kind of gift, yet infinitely more unique, more beautiful, more game-changing, more exceptional and more life-giving than even that!

If you want to produce a crop with your life that honours God and blesses others in the long run, cherish the life-giving gift of God’s life-giving word. The key is to CHERISH. Make time for it. Value it. And trust it.

Cherish the life-giving gift of God’s life-giving word.

By Matthew Ruttan

–Today’s “Up!” is based on my Sunday podcast called “Cherish” which is Part 1 in the “Crop” series. See the video here and the audio only here (click and scroll down). Enjoy!
–Bible quotes are from the NIV.