撒種人和種子
馬可福音四章1至9節
1耶穌又在海邊教訓人。有許多人到他那裡聚集，他只得上船坐下。船在海裡，眾人都靠近海，站在岸上。
2耶穌就用比喻教訓他們許多道理。在教訓之間，對他們說：
3“你們聽啊！有一個撒種的出去撒種。
4撒的時候，有落在路旁的，飛鳥來吃盡了；
5有落在土淺石頭地上的，土既不深，發苗最快，
6日頭出來一曬，因為沒有根，就枯乾了；
7有落在荊棘裡的，荊棘長起來，把它擠住了，就不結實；
8又有落在好土裡的，就發生長大，結實有三十倍的，有六十倍的，有一百倍的。”
9又說：“有耳可聽的，就應當聽！”
信息分享
若要農作物豐收，農夫就必須辛勤作工。首先要在合適的時間，勤奮撒種。他要一大清早起來，作好一切準備，定意要撒完當天的種才離開。他要仰賴泥土帶來豐收，相信他所撒的種子終有一天會結出果實，即使有可能他人收割獲利。
保羅深明撒種的重要，他也有同樣的負擔和信心。他曾經說過：「若不傳福音，我便有禍了……若不甘心，責任卻已經託付我了。」（林前九16）我們是否有這種催逼感，要隨時隨地去撒種呢？
農人知道他必須撒種。他要全心全意去完成這項工作，顧不得雙腳踏在濕滑的泥土上面，既骯髒又不舒服，也要把種子撒完才回家。為了撒種，他甘願付出離家的代價。
基督的僕人是否曉得撒種的重要性呢？有些時候，撒種的工作好像永遠做不完。禾場太大，工人太少。然而，我們若要為基督贏得更多靈魂，在福音的工作上獲得豐收，就必須完成撒種的工作。
神呼召我們作甚麼呢？就是撒種。傳道書十一章6節給我們一個很好的提醒：「早晨要撒你的種，晚上也不要歇你的手，因為你不知道哪一樣發旺。」
THE-SOWER AND THE SEED
Mark 4:1-9
1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.
2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:
3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.
4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.
5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.
6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.
7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Message
It would not be easy work but if there is going to be a harvest, someone has to pay the price of sowing the seed. It must be sown while the opportunity is there. The farmer had left home that morning with one purpose in mind. He would stay on that field until the sowing was completed. That man was claiming a harvest from the soil. He had faith that what he sowed would one day bring fruit even if someone else would see it and reap the benefit of it.
Paul knew that same urgency, that same burden, that same faith. He said: 'Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel... I am compelled to preach'. (1 Corinthians 9:16) Do we ourselves know anything of this compulsion - to sow the seed wherever we can?
The farmer knew the burden of the task as well as the burden of the seed. He had one purpose in mind - to stay on the job until the work was completed. His feet became dirty walking in the loose soil. What did it matter? This was the task for which he had left his home behind.
How often have servants of Christ known the burden of the task of sowing! Sometimes the task has seemed endless, the field so big, the labourers so few. Yet the sowing must be done if ever there is to be a harvest of souls won for Christ.
What has God called us to do? To sow the seed. Ecclesiastes 11:7 is a good reminder for us all: 'Sow your seed in the morning and at the evening... for you do not know which will succeed'.