Day 37 | The Sower Soweth

July 7, 2015 - WEEK SIX

Vincent van Gogh, The Sower, Kröller-Müller Museum, [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

DAILY READING

CONSIDER AS YOU READ

When did you last weed and prepare the garden of your heart?
Why are there so many parables in the Bible, but none in the Book of Mormon?

SUPPLEMENTAL READING

One of the primary differences between the different kinds of soils (hearts) is their preparation. The soils that rejected the word were intrinsically no different from the good soil, except that the good soil had been prepared. It had been plowed, unlike the hard soil on the wayside. It had had the rocks removed, including those hiding under the surface. It had many of the thorns pulled out of it….

President James E. Faust lamented the fact that, despite much success in preaching the gospel around the world, “at the same time, the ground seems to be hardening, and many are less receptive to things of the Spirit.” But we don’t have to simply give in to the forces that fight against God and his plan. “For the seeds of faith to sprout in our lives, we must avoid Satan’s grasp,” President Faust said. “We also need to prepare our own seedbed of faith. To do this we need to plow the soil through daily humble prayer, asking for strength and forgiveness. We need to harrow the soil by overcoming our feelings of pride. We need to prepare the seedbed by keeping the commandments to the best of our ability. We need to be honest with the Lord in the payment of our tithing and our other offerings. We need to be worthy and able to call forth the great powers of the priesthood to bless ourselves, our families, and others for whom we have responsibility. There is no better place for the spiritual seeds of our faith to be nurtured than within the hallowed sanctuaries of our temples and in our homes” (James E. Faust, “Of Seeds and Soils,” Ensign, November 1999, 46–48) (Donald W. Parry and Jay Parry, Understanding the Parables of Jesus Christ, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006, 7–9).

READ COMPLETE TALK

ADDITIONAL MEDIA

Jesus Declares the Parable
of the Wheat and Tares

FOR YOUNGER DISCIPLES

The Parable of the Sower

QUESTIONS FOR YOUNGER DISCIPLES

Have you ever planted a seed and watched it grow? Did it have problems like hard ground, too much sun, or too many birds?
How can we make sure the seeds Jesus plants in our hearts grow and get strong?