Seeds Everywhere! – July 17, 2026

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/family-devotions/20260717fam.mp3 Listen to Devotion Read: Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 [Jesus said] “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Matthew 13:3-8 Seeds Everywhere! In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Imagine your family gave you a packet of flower seeds and said, “Don’t waste these!” You would probably be careful, right? You’d plant them in good dirt. You wouldn’t throw them onto the driveway. You wouldn’t toss them into a pile of rocks. You definitely wouldn’t scatter them into a patch of weeds. That would be silly! But in Jesus’ story, that’s exactly what the farmer does. He throws seed everywhere. Some lands on the path. Some lands on rocky ground. Some lands among thorns. Some lands on good soil. At first, it almost seems like the farmer is being careless. But Jesus is teaching us something important. In this parable, the seed is God’s Word—the good news about Jesus. And the farmer is God. God doesn’t keep his Word locked away or only share it with a few people. He spreads it everywhere. Some people hear God’s Word and ignore it. Some people get excited about it for a little while but then drift away. Some people let other things become more important than Jesus. But some people hear God’s Word, trust in Jesus, and their faith grows strong. That’s the good soil. And when God’s Word grows in someone’s heart, amazing things happen: Faith grows. Lives change. People learn about Jesus. Others hear the gospel too. Just think, one little seed can produce a huge harvest! This parable teaches us how we should share God’s Word. Sometimes we wait for the “perfect” moment. Sometimes we’re afraid someone won’t listen. Sometimes we think, “What if they don’t care?” But Jesus tells us to keep planting. Keep inviting. Keep sharing. Keep talking about Jesus. We don’t have to figure out which hearts are good soil, and which aren’t. That’s God’s job. Our job is simply to scatter the seed. And because God’s Word is powerful, we know it is never wasted. The farmer in Jesus’ story wasn’t careless. He was generous. And God is generous too. He keeps planting his Word in our hearts and in the hearts of others because he wants many people to know the love and forgiveness found in Jesus. So don’t be afraid to share God’s Word. You never know when God is growing a harvest that is bigger than you can imagine! Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for planting your Word in our hearts. Let your Word root deeply in us so that we may bear fruit for your kingdom. Amen. The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire. Questions for Younger Children Where did some of the farmer’s seed land? What does the seed represent in Jesus’ story? What happened to the seed that landed on good soil? Questions for Elementary Age Children Why do you think the farmer scattered seed everywhere instead of only putting it in the good soil? What does this story teach us about our job and God’s job when we share the gospel? Questions for Middle School and Above The farmer kept scattering seed even though he knew some would not grow. What does that teach us about God’s love for people and about the way Christians should share the gospel? Have you ever invited someone to church, Sunday school, or vacation Bible school? What happened? Download Family Devotions     Family Devotions are brought to you by WELS Discipleship. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.