And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:26-29 NKJV

“But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance” (Luke 8:15). In order to plant seed for personal change and growth, you need two things: (1) commit yourself to the seed and not dig it up. You must think only of the harvest; (2) you must let go of the old in anticipation of the new. To do this, you have to understand the mystery of the “in-between” and have an “honest and good heart.”

Jesus said that, the kingdom of God is like a like a man scattering seed into the ground, i.e., committing and letting go (giving, releasing, sharing) in righteous, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Mk. 4:26; Rom. 14:17). When releasing these kingdom realities, you’re also letting go of everything that is not righteous, peace and joy so that you can totally let go of the results. Like a farmer who knows that basically he doesn’t know the mystery of the “in-between” but he sows seed with noble intentions (honest and good heart) and he anticipates a harvest.

Unlike the wicked, the man with an honest and good heart sows righteousness and can expect a sure reward (Prov. 11:18). The reason there is hesitation about sowing the seed—making a commitment and letting go—is because you’re not sure this is the harvest you want.  This truth explains why couples cohabit but delay or never get married: a lack of true commitment and not letting go of the right to leave without legal consequences. The fruitful reward of commitment and letting go necessitates an honest and good heart!