Kingdom Principle: Seeds; Part IX
Locate in Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15

I grew up memorizing scripture from a very young age, our family and the church we attended placed a lot of importance on memory verses. This continued through my adolescence as well. While working at our church camp, the director encouraged all staff to memorize James 1. When that was committed to memory it was a natural progression to memorize other passages of scripture. By the time I was an adult, this type of learning had been a lifelong practice for me. Even now, it is not unusual to find me committing to memory the passages of scripture I am currently writing about.

The point is that these verses and passages have become a part of me. Learning them from an early age has helped me recall them quickly when I need them. The other advantage is the Lord reminds me of what they say when I am reading other passages, this brings fullness to my understanding. Best of all, since they are committed to memory I have the ability to think and meditate on scripture even when my Bible is not readily available. For me, memorization has played a key role in the harvest I am now reaping in life.

The Good Soil has Less

Kingdom Principle: Seeds; Part VIII
Locate in Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15

Both my mother and grandmother are avid gardeners. They each have beautiful gardens that bloom all summer long. When I visit, we always spend time walking through the gardens to enjoy their beauty. However, those moments do not compare to the countless hours each of them spend working in them. To have a beautiful garden constant weeding is necessary otherwise the weeds will overtake the flowers.

Thorns Choked the Plants

“Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain” (Mark 4:7).