[You may listen to the only recording of this song here.]
A farmer sows his seeds, and they fall everywhere.
Some seeds die where they land, but some will multiply.
Some seeds fall upon the path and some on rocky soil;
Some seeds choke among the thorns, but some fall on good ground.
God’s children scatter seeds of love with all their words and ways.
Some people do not listen; some do not understand.
Some follow, yet they soon turn back–from worry or for wealth.
But some show they’re God’s children now by sowing seeds of love.
About This Song:
This song is based loosely on Matthew 13:3-8 and 19-23, Jesus’ familiar Parable of the Sower. Here are the relevant verses:
3. A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
19 “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
(NIV)
You’ll notice I referred to this story as the Parable of the Sower, which is the heading the NIV uses. And that makes sense. After all, the farmer sowed seed that fell on all of those different kinds of soil.
Different kinds of soil? Hmm. Maybe that’s why some translations call this the Parable of the Soil. I think that makes more sense, because the story really isn’t about WHO sows the seed. It’s about WHERE the seed lands.
If I understand correctly –Jesus explained it pretty simply to His disciples–those who preach God’s Word share it with all kinds of people. Some will reject it outright. Some will accept it for the moment and then fall away. Others will really take it to heart and let it change their lives.
If you’re a Sower of God’s Word, don’t be discouraged that your message won’t reach or win everyone. Jesus had that problem, too.
If you’re not a believer, what kind of soil are you? Are you receptive to God’s message of love?
Please leave a comment if this song has said something to you.
I write Christian novels as well as songs. The two most recent ones are shown below and their pictures are links to the Amazon pages. The eighteen-book picture is a link to my Amazon Author Page.
I’ll be back again next Wednesday. Please join me then. Better still, sign up to receive these weekly posts by email.
Best regards,
Roger
Links you might be interested in:
As I Come Singing. . . 