When a farmer sows seeds, he is not the one who makes the seeds grow into various crops or fruits. Once he plants the seeds and waters them, the seeds start to sprout. And it forms stems and branches. And later they bear fruits on the branches.
In this process, what the farmer does is just planting the seeds and watering them. Once the seeds are planted, it is God who takes up the work and makes the seeds grow. At the time of the harvest, the farmer gathers them and enjoys the fruits.
We do not know how much harvest the farmer will gather from the seeds. Nor can we know or control the process how the seeds grow into fruits and crops. All these things belong to God.
1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.
What makes everything possible is God. Through the parable of a farmer sowing seeds, God is teaching about the gospel work. The seeds are the words of God. When we preach the gospel, we do not know what will happen to the seeds.
What kind of soil will fall into? How will be the weather for the seed to grow? How much harvest will the seeds produce later? Through what process will the seeds grow into fruits?
We have no idea about these things. We are given the seeds and commanded to sow them on the field. If we obey God and plant them, God will make the seeds grow into a good harvest.
Mark 4:20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.
God already promised us abundant harvest. Let us have faith in God and sow the seeds by preaching the gospel in season or out of season. Then God will make them grow and we can have good harvest in the end.
What is “love”? People have tried to define love in many ways. These are some of the definition of love given by people.
Love is Security.
Love is Indescribable.
Love is About Give-and-Take.
Love is Respect.
Love is Commitment.
Each person might have his/her definition of love and they try to practice what they believe to be love. Out of their faith in love, people do many great things. Some dedicate their whole wealth to practice the love of their own. And others even sacrifice their own life for the love they desire.
Love of God
What is love? According to the bible, giving up their wealth or even life for the benefit of others is not the love God desires.
1 Corinthians 13:1 I may speak in different languages, whether human or even of angels. But if I don’t have love, I am only a noisy bell or a ringing cymbal. 2 I may have the gift of prophecy, I may understand all secrets and know everything there is to know, and I may have faith so great that I can move mountains. But even with all this, if I don’t have love, I am nothing. 3 I may give away everything I have to help others, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned. But I gain nothing by doing all this if I don’t have love.
According to the bible definition, none of these can be categorized as the true love God wants us to practice. Love is not in the speaking of tongues, gift of prophecy, wisdom or knowledge, faith, altruism, or in the sacrifice of his own life for others.
Love Of Christ in the New Covenant
Then what is the true love? What is the love that we should practice in the eyes of God? On the night of the Passover, Jesus established the new covenant with the bread and wine which represent his flesh and blood. Apostle John describes the event and he let us know the love Christ wanted us to practice.
John 13:34 “I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you. 35 All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.”
Jesus’ message of love was clear: We must love one another just as Christ loved us. If we find the love of Christ for us, then we can know what the love God want us to practice is. Then what was the love Jesus had for us? In the parable of the vine and grapes, we can find the answer for the question.
On the night of the Passover, Jesus gave his teaching as “the New Commandment” to his disciples, saying “Love One Another”. Then what is the way we can practice the love Jesus taught us? What is the Love God wants us to practice to one anothe? Can you give your opinion about what love is.
The True Love of God
John 15:12 This is what I command you: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 The greatest love people can show is to die for their friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I tell you to do. 15 I no longer call you servants, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. But now I call you friends, because I have told you everything that my Father told me. 16 “You did not choose me. I chose you. And I gave you this work: to go and produce fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
After teaching us to love one another, Jesus reveals how to practice the love of God. To practice the love of God we have to do the work Jesus entrusted to us: “To go and produce fruit—fruit that will last”.
Bear Everlasting Fruits by Preaching the Gospel
The love of God for us is to bear everlasting fruit, that is, to lead people to the salvation of eternal life. Even though we sacrifice our life for others and let them live again, their life is still temporary and will end sooner or later. For a person who has conditions in the liver, I could eagerly sacrifice mine that he can live again. However, the life I gave will last only for a short while.
For this reason, the sacrifice cannot be called the true love God wants us to practice. Rather God wants us to deliver the message of the eternal life in order that they can have salvation and live forever. In other words, God wants us to bear the fruit that will last forever by leading people to eternal salvation in the kingdom of heaven living happily with God forever and ever. This is the love Jesus showed us throughout his ministry by preaching the gospel diligently.
Let us bear good and true fruit and give glory to God!!
