10-2-2026    How Deep are Our Roots

The Sower  and the explanation

Matt. 13:3-8, 3:18-23  

Mark 4:1-9,  4:13-20

Luke 8:4-8. 8:10-14

The Mustard seed

Math. 13:31-32

Mark 4:30-32

Luke 13:18-19

Let's take a quick look at the mustard 'tree'.  The seed is 2.5 millimeters (@.07 inches) in size (that's tiny)!

It can grow from an average of 3-5 feet up to 6 or even 30 feet tall and it's root system digs downward the same as it is tall and the roots spread out.  The root system is deep and spreads out.  It is entrenched beneath the earth!(https://church/articles/8116/from-small-seed-to-mighty-tree).

Okay, let's put things into perspective with the sower and the mustard seed.  The sower's seed falls  on four types of ground: by the wayside, on stony ground, amongst the thorns or on good ground.  .  

Let's put this into perspective with our relationship with the Lord.

By the wayside means when we hear the word of salvation, our heart does not take the truth in and the enemy has 'stolen' the words of eternal life from us, pretty much immediately.  

Upon stony ground, means we receive the word and start a relationship with Jesus, but we don't develop our faith and it won't take much to cause us to fall away from that relationship.  D:iversity causes the relationship to crumble AND, if we don't confess any sins we are guilty of, we drift away (perhaps eternally) from our Lord.

Amongst the thorns means we still care too much about this world and again, our commitment to Jesus is not solid.  Because we care more about what man thinks about us than God, our eternal relationship with Jesus is challenged.  If we don't turn from caring for the things of the world our faith is undermined,  and wanting to be like the world overtakes our wanting be like Jesus.  We no longer seek to be obedient to the Lord nor do we seek or care to repair the damage to our broken relationship.  Move over wayside and stones, here come  the thorns.

Of course, the good ground means we are transformed by the renewing of our minds to prove what is the good and acceptable will of God. (Rom. 12:2).  We pray without ceasing, giving God thanksgiving for all that He has done for us in Christ Jesus concerning us (1 Thess. 5:16-18).  This doesn't mean that we pray 24/7 but we do keep a right attitude with our Lord and Savior, asking direction and advice as situations come before us. He also asks us not to quench the Spirit (1Thess. 5:19) for the Holy Ghost is God's Spirit and He gives us the power in helping us in all things as we allow Him (Acts 1:8)! 

The sower relates our rejection, acceptance and/or growth in Jesus Christ.  From not allowing Him into our lives at all, to a small degree or full steam ahead. We don't experience a 'full' relationship with the lord.  But our desire should be to solidify that relationship with God by yielding ourselves to Him.  Abiding in His love.

The mustard seed reflects  to which level we accept the Lord AND to the level which we allow Him to operate in us and through us. The mustard seed root root system compounds it strength as it grows beneath the surface.  Again being just as deep under the ground as the plant is above the ground and with roots being spread out as well thus making it practically immovable.  The true strength of the mustard seed is not what we see above the ground but what lies beneath the surface.  As we Spiritually grow in the Lord, our Spiritual root also grows stronger as we grow more solid in our faith.  

Jesus gave His life for us so we could establish an eternal covenant with Him as we abide in His love, which we gain through the prayer and reading the bible.

So just how do we grow our Spiritual roots?  Two primary ways - reading scriptures and prayer.  Paul tells the Romans to present our bodies a living sacrifice, wholly and acceptable to God. It is our reasonable service for the love of Jesus redeeming us from eternal separation.  We do this by regularly renewing our minds thus transforming us into what is acceptable before God.  Regular means our goal is to read daily.  We an ask the Holy Ghost to teach us as we read through the scriptures for the Holy Ghost will give us understanding (John 14:26). I generally ask he Lord to show me and teach me what I need to understand in any passage I read, then I ask for the Holy Ghost to strengthen me in knowledge as I read.  As we grow, we learn how God's love grows in us and even in the world around us.  The more we know, the stronger our 'Spiritual root system' becomes enabling us to stand firm in the truth of the Lord.  

We can also learn from others as they share what Father has given them, but here we need to discern whether they are sharing God's truth and Word with us or not.  When the information is helpful, the Holy Ghost will let us know in our heart.  When the information is not of God, the Holy Ghost will also surely confirm it in our heart, as well.  The 'good Word' others share with us will be in agreement with God's love as we discover it in the bible.

A third way to growth is our prayer life with the Lord.  We learn about the depth of God's love through reading the bible which enables us to recognize God's voice when we are in prayer.  God's voice will always be in agreement with His love and the scriptures.  Jesus says His sheep know His voice and will follow Him (John 10:11-14) and we are Jesus' sheep.  Do we hear and obey His voice?  He speaks to us within our heart, it's that voice that pops up in our mind.  HE encourages us when we are on the right track.. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Matt. 28:18-20).  However, it may not always be so pleasant as He corrects our pathways to get back on course (Prov. 3:11).  As His children, Father will not let temptation overcome us (1 Corinth.10:13), He protects us (Psalm 46:1), gives us wisdom (James 1:5) as well as discernment (1 Kings 3:9).  AND He confirms that we will be with Him in eternity (John 14:1-7, Rev. 20:11-15 (the book of life)). We pray not just for own growth but we also pray for others regularly as Paul suggests (Phil. 1:4)  

Understanding the parable of the sower and the mustard seed help us to understand the relationship we need to be having with Jesus so we can be with Him throughout eternity.

The mustard seed root system helps us to understand more about how we can walk closer with the Lord.   We want our root system to grow so we can stand in confidence in what our Lord has told us.  So we can be a true witness for Him (Acts 1:8).  Through the Holy Ghost and our obedience in God's love, we discover we can do the things Jesus did and even greater (John 14:11-26)!We are one with the Lord, through the Holy Ghost so we can boldly go and do all that Jesus has asked of us.

The mustard seed root system is a measure of our faith.  We said that the mustard roots go as deep into the ground as the bush is tall. It is a strong foundation which makes sit most difficult to be moved.  

However for all this to happen, we need to receive Jesus as a little child (Matt. 18:2-5).  Why?  A child accepts what dad and mom  teach him as they are his sole source of information in his early years.  Unless their upbringing dictates otherwise, a child trusts dad and mom with all his heart.  The more we trust the Lord, the more we see what He will do for us.  The more we see what God does for us, the greater our faith becomes.  The greater our faith becomes, the deeper and outward our faith grows.  Are the roots of our faith digging deeper and spreading out in he depths of our relationship with our Lord?  Or are we lying stagnant floundering just beneath the  life's 'surface'?

The bottom line is that the depth of the mustard seed root relates with the depth of love and commitment we have for Jesus.  For too many, our relationship is just below the surface, in shallow water.  Father does bless us, for our faithfulness, at whatever level we are with Him.  when we want to see deeper things with Him, then our relationship must go deeper.  Our roots must dig into the depths of Father's love, into deeper ground, deeper waters.  The disciples couldn't cast a demon out of a child, and Jesus replied "This kind can come forth by nothing but by fasting and prayer" (Mark 9:29).  So, how much fasting and prayer does our relationship with the Lord include?  Do we talk with the Father every day?  Do we do partial or full fasts showing Father our commitment to live for Him? To what depth do we want our relationship to grow?  We can survive on a surface relationship, that is keeping God's Law of Love but we can explore the depth of God's love for us by allowing the Host Ghost which is in us to grow us.

we are made in the image of God, but what is that image?  A head, torso, arms and legs, hand land feet?  To reflect the image of God is to be a reflection of His love (1 John 4:8)!  Jesus gave the ultimate love by nailing our sin to His cross (Col.. 2:15).  There is no greater love that give our life for a friend (John 15:13).  Yes, there have been martyrs and martyrs will still come to pass, but we all don't have to die physically.  Dying to ourselves is yielding our lives to the Lord and allowing the Holy Ghost to guide our steps.  This means not to just give ourselves to God, but to  consider the needs of those whom encounter.

How deep is our love?  How deeply are we involved in living in God's love?

The choice IS OURS!

Amen