Four Types of Christians (ii)

Continuing on our foundation of the four types of Christians found in the church and the progress of the Word of God in each of these, we continue looking at the words of Jesus. He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how” (Mark 4:26-27). Here the Lord speaks about the law that cannot be escaped by any man, the law of seed-time-harvest. We already have it from Genesis 8:22 that “while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest … shall not cease”. Jesus zeroes in on that principle here – showing that seed is scattered on the ground, ‘night and day’ arise, signalling the passing of time before the sprouting and growth of that which has been put in the ground. Important to note, the seed will not grow unless it has been put in a specific environment consistently over an adequate time period – you cannot put a seed in the ground, take it out tomorrow to grow it wherever else you deem fit. This is why institutions like church are important, they present a safe environment for the Word of God to grow in. But today, believers have chosen to go against the direct instruction of scripture and have opened up a portal to their consciences, allowing the enemy to reprogram it towards his own bidding. Jesus continued, “For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head…” (v.28). We see Jesus giving the earth (heart) personality, signalling the coming together of the masculine seed (the Word) and the feminine heart to conceive the fruit of the Word. Jesus then details the stages of growth; the blade, the head, and then the full grain! There is no blowing up, there are no untraceable suddenlies, there is a systematic process to the manifestation of any result. It all starts with the seed, with the little – there is no single person who did not start small before they became big.

It is therefore up to us to be intentional about our personal growth because the growth of the Word can be measured. One such way to ensure maximum growth is through meditation. This can be seen in how cows ingest their food; we know they swallow first into the first and second stomach, then at a later stage, they bring back that very same food to carefully chew over it again. This is referred to as “chewing the cud”. The same can be said for Christians, we ought to take in the Word further than the first layer of mental awareness. We need to chew it until it becomes the reality of our subconscious. We would be amazed at how far one scripture can go in unlocking the mysteries of God. This is why many have unproductive prayer lives, because they have not spent time sharpening the axe to ensure they pray accurately. We have to give ourselves wholly to the Word, this is what the apostle Paul was referring to, “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (Timothy 4:15). He told Timothy to give himself wholly, not partly – dedicating his entire lifestyle to meditation, everyday and at every opportunity. This is what the Word of God tells us determines success, we can never succeed beyond our level of thinking, and if we want to succeed, we have to invest in our mind.

Once we understand that indeed God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, we then gain an appreciation for why we need to fully invest into the Word to gather value. But if we treat the Word cheaply and think things will happen at face value and at first read, we will miss out on the treasures buried within. This is how we fight and these are the weapons to ensure the victory for the combat of our time – the battle of the mind. It was told to Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). It is clear from this passage that meditation should be a lifestyle, and that the Word we receive ought to be put to practice, all of it and not some of it – then we shall indeed make our ways prosperous! Remembering the words of Jesus, that the earth yields crop by itself, that if we do this that we have been instructed, the profit is automatic! It is a sure thing! We have to give ourselves fully! And only then will we see the fruit of what is buried in the Word!

Prayer

Father, we thank You for Your word of grace.  We thank You for showing us the way to success, for teaching us the practicality of the workings of Your word. Through meditation we inherit your thoughts! Through doing we possess your promises! We receive the grace for the execution of all we have learnt. In the name of Jesus, Amen!