Day 18: Don't Confuse Simple with Easy
I am fond saying, “Don’t confuse simple with easy. Consider, it is a simple principle to lose weight: calories in versus calories out. It is not complicated to understand. It is however not an easy process for many to master.
There are hundreds of these examples. Mark 4:1-20 is one. It starts as a parable.
Jesus often speaks in parables.
Sometimes understanding a parable can be anything other than simple. The beginning of this bit of Scripture falls into that category of what might be a tricky parable.
Then Jesus explains it to his followers. His explanation is remarkably clear.
Jesus is telling this parable to teach us. He is teaching us, his followers, how to behave. He describes a simple principle.
Jesus clearly says, “Go and share the Word of God with everyone”. The principle is that it is the Word of God, and not a human, that has the power. Therefore, share the Word of God.
I have had people object. I have had people say, “I only want to share it on the good soil.” Yet, do we really know which soil is good? Elsewhere God tells us in his Word that we judge by outside appearances, but God judges the heart.
If you think about Jesus’ own ministry, he cast his message far and wide.
We see the power of God’s Word in the scene Jesus paints. Other than the seed which the birds snatch up, all the other seed grows. It grows regardless of the condition of the soil. God’s Word, the Seed, is that powerful!
Seems clear and SIMPLE. Go, Plant, Share, The Word.
I try not to use this platform to overly promote The Pocket Testament League, but today’s passage directly connects to the organization which I have committed myself.
To deploy a simple principle into my life, or yours, requires discipline and diligence. A simple process can help a great deal.
At The Pocket Testament League we’ve coupled this simple and powerful principle with a simple daily process.
The result is doubly-powerful. It results in millions of Jesus’ followers sowing the Word.
The process? Three simple repeatable steps that anyone can do:
1. Read God’s Word each day. You can read in the morning, or noon, or night. You can even keep it with you and read little snippets during the day. You can listen to it through an audio file on your smartphone. The key is to daily be in God’s Word.
2. Carry a Gospel of John in your pocket or purse. As you place it in your pocket or purse, say a short prayer that God lead you to the person He wants you to share it with. Keep Gospels in your car, or at your office, or in your desk. You have to have the seed to plant it!
3. Share the Gospel of John with the person the Lord leads you to. You do not have to have a big explanation. You might say, “The message of this book changed my life, I would like to give it to you as a gift.” Find a phrase that is natural. No need to argue. No need to judge. Just spread the seed. After all, God knows the heart.
It works. God’s Word tell us it works. We have thousands of stories that tell us it works. Here is one.
I invite you to plant a seed, to share a Gospel of John. Don’t have one? Click here.