God wants you to grow. He has a plan for that, and he promises it will work. God is passionate about you and your growth like a gardener gets excited about beautiful plants and landscape.

Notes And Next Steps

Mark 4:26-32 + Part 3 of the series “Heaven On Earth"

Jesus is s not teaching us horticulture. He’s teaching us heaven, the power of God right here on earth.

“I need Jesus to love and lead me to leave my ways behind for his ways. To follow him. To change and develop and grow.”

1. God’s patience exceeds yours. “A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how” (Mark 4:26,27).
2. God’s power excels yours. “All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come” (Mark 4:28,29).
3. God’s process expects yours.
4. God’s product extends yours. “The kingdom of God is like … a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants” (Mark 4:31,32).

CROSSTALK

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. YOUR PICK: This man is perfectly balanced.
               A. True
               B. False
            2. SOLVE THE PROBLEM: Stacy is busy mom of 3 and her goal each day is just to keep her kids clothed, fed, alive and maybe well behaved. She is a Christian, and conflicted as she wants to live more from a passionate faith but it doesn’t feel like her faith connects with the reality of her daily tasks. At least not now. So she’s comfortable keeping her faith in a compartment that says “Sunday” and attends church regularly. She expresses to you that she feels “stuck” and asks for advice. Based on today’s message, how might you respond?