The design of how a plant sprouts and grows.
Bible Reading: Luke 8:4-15
The Parable of the Sower
4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Purpose of the Parables
9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
Grow from a Seed
Reflection: To understand better the design of a plant, record observations as a bean plant germinates.
Instructions:
- Crumple a paper towel into the bottom of a clear glass or plastic disposable cup.
- Soak the towel with water and place a bean seed on top.
- Keep the paper towel moist and put the cup in a warm place.
- Observe the bean daily and from the time it begins to sprout draw pictures of its development.
Discussion: What enables a plant to grow from a seed? What does the ability of a seed to produce a plant tell you about God?
Journal Writing: What is an important truth from the reflection? Why do you need to know that truth?
Application Prayer: Write out a prayer for God’s insight and help into how you can apply the truth from the reflection.
Week’s Memory Verse: Psalm 92:12-13
12The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.