上帝子民的增长及国度拓展，都是上帝的作为，当将荣耀归给祂。

So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:7

可见栽种的算不得什么，浇灌的也算不得什么，只在那叫他生长的上帝。-哥林多前书3章7节

One day, I noticed an unexpected splash of yellow to the right of our driveway. Six stalks of daffodils, sandwiched between two large stones, bloomed bright and tall. Because I hadn’t planted, fertilized, or intentionally watered the bulbs, I couldn’t figure out how or why the flowers had sprouted in our yard.

一天，我发现屋前车道的右边多了一撮嫩绿的鲜黄，细看原来是六株黄色的水仙花，从两块大石头的夹缝中探出头来，轻姿漫舞。我从没在此播种，更别说施肥或特意浇灌，所以这些凌波仙子如何会萌芽生长，始终令我大惑不解。

Jesus illustrated a mystery of spiritual growth in the parable of the growing seed. He compares the kingdom of God to a farmer scattering seed on the ground (Mark 4:26). The one who scattered the seed may have done what he could to care for the soil. But Jesus said the seed sprouted whether or not that man slept in, woke up, or even understood the growth process (vv. 27–28). The land owner benefited from the harvest (v. 29), though its development didn’t depend on what he did or his understanding of the workings beneath the surface of the soil.

耶稣在撒种的比喻中，揭示了属灵成长的奥秘。祂将上帝的国度比作农夫撒种的情形（马可福音4章26节）。撒种的农夫可能已为田地做好完全准备，只是如耶稣所说，农夫天天日出而作，日落而息，种子就在他不知不觉中渐渐发芽长大（27-28节）。农夫因收成而获益（29节），但能有所收成并不在乎他做了些什么，也不在乎他是否了解植物在土壤下如何发芽生长。

The maturing of the seeds in Jesus’s parable, like the blooming of my daffodils, occurred in God’s time and because of God’s growing power. Whether we’re considering personal spiritual growth or God’s plan to expand the church until Jesus returns, the Lord’s mysterious ways aren’t dependent on our abilities or understanding of His works. Still, God invites us to know, serve, and praise the Grower, reaping the benefits of the spiritual maturity He cultivates in and through us.

耶稣在这个比喻中提到种子的成熟结粒，正好像在我家车道旁绽放的水仙，因着上帝使万物生长的权能，照上帝所定的时间发芽生长。当我们在等候主再来的期间，无论是我们个人的灵命成长，或是扩展上帝教会的计划，都不在于我们的能力，或是否了解上帝的计划，这全在于上帝奇妙的作为。然而，上帝仍然邀请我们去认识、事奉及赞美祂，收获祂在我们生命中栽培成熟的属灵果实。

主，感谢祢使我们在灵里成长，又让我们在祢国度拓展时，能服事祢的子民。

Mark 4:26-29  NIV

4 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

马可福音 4:26-29 

4 又说：“神的国如同人把种撒在地上， 27 黑夜睡觉，白日起来，这种就发芽渐长，那人却不晓得如何这样。 28 地生五谷是出于自然的，先发苗，后长穗，再后穗上结成饱满的子粒。 29 谷既熟了，就用镰刀去割，因为收成的时候到了。”

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

Commenting on the parable found in today’s text, Simon Kistemaker says:“From the moment he has sown the seed the farmer must leave the sprouting, the growing, the pollinating, and the maturing to God. . . . The farmer cannot explain this growth and development. He is only a worker who at the proper time sows and reaps. God holds the secret of life. God is in control” (The Parables: Understanding the Stories Jesus Told).

一位基督教作家（Simon Kistemaker）曾对今天阅读的比喻作了一番诠释：“从播种的那一刻开始，农夫就必须把发芽、生长、授粉和成熟的过程交给上帝……农夫无法解释农作物是如何生长和发展。他只是一个工人，在适当的时候撒种、收割。上帝掌握着生命的奥秘，祂掌管一切。”

It isn’t that the farmer isn’t busy and simply relaxes during the growing of the wheat. He is busy weeding, mulching, and watering. But the growth is up to the Lord. We can work to encourage growth, do things that create an environment for growth and for plants to flourish, but ultimately the growth is something we see, not something we produce. The same is true in our spiritual life.

但这并不是说，农夫在小麦生长期间不必忙碌，可以清闲度日。其实，他要忙着除草、覆土和灌溉，但农作物的生长取决于上帝。我们可以竭尽所能地促进农作物生长，创造有利生长的环境，但说到底，即使我们看到植物茁壮成长，真正使它们生长的并不是我们。我们属灵生命的成长，也是如此。

Take a moment to thank God for the growth you’ve seen in your life. How can you prepare the soil of your heart for continued growth in Christlikeness?

不妨花点时间感谢上帝，因祂让你的属灵生命有明显的长进。你要如何让自己的心灵成为一片沃土，使自己能继续成长更像基督呢？

整理：于姊妹