The Parable of the Sower

source: kikishua

It’s October 16th which means we are basically halfway through our 31 Day series of the best Bible books for kids. We’ve covered high-tech Bibles, rhyming Bibles, baby books and perfect-for-boys books. I hope this series has been (and will continue to be) beneficial to you. I really do believe stacking your shelves with books based on God’s Word and surrounding your kids with His Story will make an eternal difference in their hearts and lives.

What does God’s Word say about…God’s Word?

One of my favorite Scriptures about God’s Word itself is the Parable of the Sower. Remember it? A farmer goes out to plant seeds and some of the seeds fall on the path and the birds eat it up. Some of the seeds fell on rocky soil and although the plants sprang up quickly, they didn’t have any roots so they died. More of the seeds fell among weeds which, of course choked them out. The remaining seeds fell on good soil and yielded a huge crop. (See Matthew 13)

What does this parable mean? Well, Jesus is explicit when he explains it to his disciples:

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:

When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.

But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Let’s look at the two types of seed in the middle–the rocky ground and the thorns. The seeds that fall there do not grow because of persecution, worries of life and deceitfulness of wealth. This may be something adults deal with in their everyday life. Children? Not so much.

Now, let’s look at the first and last seeds–do you see a common theme? UNDERSTANDING. When someone hears God’s Word and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches it away!

source: elaine of lotus land

This literally brings a tear to my eye! If I try to plant a seed in my kids’ heart from God’s Word but if they do not understand it, the enemy will come and steal it?! I think of all the boring Sunday School classes, the dry sermons, the long passages read where children’s understanding was not even considered–all the seeds that were snatched from kids’ hearts! It’s a tragedy.

However, when someone hears God’s Word and does understand it? Oh, it grows! It grows 100, 60 or 30 times what was planted! Isn’t that what we want? I want God’s Word to actually grow and actually come to fruition in my kids’ lives!

How do we help our kids’ understand God’s Word?

There is more to understanding God’s Word than delivering it with smiley faces and small words. Being a long-time Children’s Ministry type person, I see this all the time. Someone comes in and thinks if they jump up and down enough or say “underpants” or make silly faces while they talk, then they are communicating to kids. This could not be any further from the truth!

Kids need bite-sized pieces of God’s Word. Not watered down, glitterized versions of the story! They don’t need bits and pieces of a story that give a trailer or preview of the Gospel! No, kids just need God’s Word–the same Word we deliver to adults. Only the bite-sized version.

This is what What’s in the Bible? has done for kids. Whats in the Bible? is a 13 DVD series that takes kids step-by-step through the Bible and explains the stories–rather the Story of the Bible. There’s a great theme of God’s plan, His kingdom and his purposes in every episode.

It’s as if you were going to read the Bible with your own kids and every time they stopped to ask a question, you actually had the answer. That’s pretty much how What’s in the Bible? is structured. They explain books of the Bible, terminology, theology and even unknowns (allowing them to be unknown!) all on a kids’ level.

But this isn’t a homeschool lesson or a children’s church curriculum (although, they do have that!). It’s not a Bible devotion or a small group study. It’s genuinely good TV for kids with hilarious songs and funny puppets.

This is a show you want to sit down and watch with your kids together. It’s one you’ll talk about afterward, refer back to when you’re reading the Bible and  use as a resource again and again. What’s in the Bible? needs to be under your Christmas tree this year. Or even better, grab the first episode today to get started on helping your kids understand what the Bible is, what it contains and Who’s story it tells.

Here’s a little taste of What’s In the Bible for you….(subscribers, click over to view!)

 Have your kids ever asked a crazy hard Bible question?

affiliate links included