Text Version | Afrikaans | Italian
“I want to help!”
“Me, too! Me, too!”
“May I, please?”
The children gathered around excitedly as Mom took the seed packets out of the shopping bag.
“I want the carrots.”
“Then give me the pumpkins.”
“But I don't want to plant onions. Yuck!”
With a laugh, Mom divided the seeds among the children. “This year, each of you will have your own garden. You will get to choose where you want to plant your seeds, and you will be responsible for weeding and watering your own plot. So before you get started, you need to go outside and search carefully for the perfect spot.”
With that, the children went outside. They looked around the front yard and the backyard. They considered things like where the sun would come up in the morning and how far the water hose would reach. Each child chose the perfect place for planting a garden.
Jerry took great care to dig the soil properly. He removed all the weeds and rocks he found and read the back of the package to make sure the seeds were planted deep enough. He faithfully tended his garden all summer long. On the hottest days, when the others didn't want to work in their gardens, he could be found working diligently outside.
Sally started off right. She also made sure her garden was planted in good soil and removed the weeds and rocks. However, as time went on, she lost interest in her plants. Other things became more important to her. Instead of working in the garden on those hot summer days, she preferred to spend her time talking on the telephone to her friends. It didn't take long for weeds to grow up and take over her garden. Soon it became difficult to tell exactly which were weeds and which were the plants.
Billy didn't think he needed to go to all the trouble. He didn't realize how important it was to have good soil. He didn't want to dig deep because the rocks were in the way, and it was hard to dig them out. So he just left them there and tried planting his seeds around the rocks.
Then there was Jill. She took her seeds and just scattered them around on the top of the ground. She quickly lost interest and didn't bother to even try to take care of her garden the rest of the summer.
Now take a few minutes to think about what kind of harvest each of the children was able to get from his garden when summer was over and it was time to pick the ripe vegetables.
If you guessed that Jerry had a good harvest, you are absolutely right. He had plenty of vegetables. In fact, he was able to set up a table in front of his house and sell some to the neighbors.
Sally had some good vegetables, but most of them were small because the weeds grew up and took the nutrition out of the ground. She wasn't able to sell any of her vegetables because people were buying Jerry's.
Billy didn't have much to pick. His plants had a little soil around them, and at first they looked like they were going to grow, but when the really hot days came, the poor plants just couldn't live. They wilted and died.
Unfortunately, Jill didn't have any plants by the end of the summer. Remember how she scattered her seeds on the top of the ground? Well, the birds came along and had themselves quite a good lunch. They didn't leave any seeds to grow into plants.
Jesus told a story called a parable about four kinds of soil. A farmer went out to his fields to plant seeds. Some of the seeds fell on top of the ground, and the birds came along and ate them up. Some of the seeds grew in the rocky soil, and they sprouted up quickly but died in the heat of the sun. Some of the seeds tried to grow where there were weeds, and, of course, they didn't grow very well. Then there were some seeds that fell in the good soil, and they grew strong and tall, and there was a lot of grain that came from them.
Jesus told what the parable means. He said that the different types of soil are like different types of people, and the seed is like the Bible or the Word of God.
When some people hear the Word of God, they don't even try to listen or understand. The devil takes the Word of God away from them and makes them forget, just like the birds ate the seed that fell on the top of the ground.
Some people are like the rocky soil. They hear the Word of God and want to do right, but they soon give up.
Other people want to listen to the Word of God, and they try to remember to obey the Bible and do the right things, but other things are more interesting to them. Like weeds growing in the garden, they have too many other activities to take their time. So, they learn a little about God and His Word, but they don't grow very strong.
Then there are the people who are like the good soil. They hear God's Word, and they work hard to understand it. They want to obey God, and they keep on trying to learn more so they can grow strong enough to tell other people all about Him.
THINK!
1. What happened to the seeds that fell on top of the soil?
2. What happened to the seeds that were planted in rocky, shallow soil?
3. What happened to the seeds that grew into plants but were not weeded and tended to?
4. What happened to the seeds that were planted in good soil and tended to?
REMEMBER
It is very important to hear God's Word and to obey Him.
A VERSE TO LEARN
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
So, what kind of dirt are you? In other words, what do you do with the Word of God that you hear or read? Do you listen to it and then forget all about it? Or do you do what it says for a little while and then stop? Or do other things become more important than obeying the Word of God? Or do you continue to learn more from the Bible, and obey it? Does it change you to become a better person?
What kind of dirt do you want to be? What would you need to do to become good dirt?
[After discussion:] If you really want to obey God, you will make an effort to set aside time to pray, read the Bible, get to know God’s will and do what He says. Then God will help you become more like Him and give you a desire and wisdom to tell others about Him so that they, too, can get to know Him.
LET'S PRAY
****************************************************
Dear God, I thank You for giving me the Bible.
Please help me to learn more about You by reading
and listening to your Word. I want to grow to be
strong so I can help other people learn to love You.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
****************************************************
CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
Matthew 13:3-8; 18-23
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More Resources To Go Along with the Story
Beginner Coloring Page (online)
Sower Sowing The Seed (online)
Color by Number (online)
My Story Time Parables Coloring Book
Parable of the Sower (online)
Sower and the Seed (online)
Action Bible Coloring Book
Coloring Through the Bible (online)
Beginner's Bible Super-Duper Mighty Jumbo Coloring Book
Bible Stories Kids Love Coloring Book (ages 2 to 4)
Big Book of Bible Story Coloring Pages for Elementary Kids
Jesus Loves Me, This I Know, Coloring Book
My Bible Coloring Book
My Gospel Story by Colors--Activity Book
My Jumbo Bible Story Coloring Book
The Super-Sized Book of Bible Coloring & Art
The Super-Sized Book of Bible Verse Coloring Pages
Children's Bible Coloring Books
Matching Game
Soil
Rocky Soil
Soil on top of the ground
Weedy Soil
Good Soil
Seed
Parable
People who obey God
God's Word
Story
People
People who forget
People who don't try to listen
People with too many interests
************
Unscramble the Memory Verse:But grace, and in grow of Lord in Savior the
Jesus and Christ. our 2 Peter 3:18 knowledge
Dandelion craft (online)
Flower Craft for Kids (online)
Make seed packets for friends (online)
Parable of the Sower Bible Craft (online)
Parable of the Sower Flaps (online)
Parable of the Sower Lapbook (online)
The Parable of the Sower (online)
The Sower and the Seeds Craft (online)
Bible Crafts
Bible Crafts & More (Ages 3-6)
Bible Craft Videos (online)
Crafting the Word of God (online)
Easy-to-Make Bible Crafts PDF for Kids
& Digital Album Download [PDF Download]
Encyclopedia Of Bible Crafts For Preschoolers
Hot Crafts for Cool Kids pdf download
Maker-ific WOWS! (ages 8-12): 54 Surprising Bible Crafts
More! Bible Crafts on a Shoe String Budget:
Paper Sacks & Cardboard Tubes
(Reproducible: Ages 5-10)
Puppet Crafts For Kids (online)
Crossword Puzzle (online)
Cryptogram (online)
Fill-in-the-Blanks (online)
Jigsaw Puzzle (online)
Maze (online)
Word Search (online)
Anagram (online)
Group activities (online)
I'm a Little Seed action rhyme (online)
Little Seed Song and Activities (online)
Review questions (online - scroll down)
Take Home Sheet
The Sower Take Home Sheet with lesson and coloring
True or False (online - scroll down)
Best Book of Bible Activities
Bible Puzzles: Word Search
Big Book Of Bible Puzzles
Big Book Of Bible Story Activity Pages V1
Bingo (online)
Children's Activity Books
Children's Puzzles
Christian and educational toys
Crossword Books
Encyclopedia Of Bible Games For Children's Ministry
Games
Jumbo Bible Activity Book 4
Memory Verse Games for Kids
Sticker Books
The Humongous Book of Games for Children's Ministry
The Super Sized Book of Bible Puzzles
God Makes Things Grow (online)
I Plant a Seed (online)
I Want to Be Good Ground (online)
Oh! The B-I-B-L-E (online)
One Seed (online)
Parable of the Sower (online)
Seed Songs (online)
The Sower (online)
100 Ways To Know God Loves Me & 100 Songs
100 Bible Stories 100 Bible Songs
Action Bible Songs
Bible Songs on CD
Bible Songs on DVD
150 All-Time Favorite Veggietunes
100 Singalong Bible Songs For Kids
Platinum Bible Collection of Classic Christian Songs on DVD
The Bible in a Minute (sing along)
25 Favorite Sunday School Songs
Children's Music
Cameron Townsend: Planting God's Word (Heroes for Young Readers)
Johnny Appleseed: God's Faithful Planter (The Sower series)
Manga Messiah (Manga Book #1-The Gospels)
The Parable of the Seeds
The Seeds That Grew and Grew
The Wise Builder and The Sower Flipover Book
The Sunflower Parable
Weeds Mixed In (online)
Beginner's Bible
Beginner's Bible for Little Ones
Bible in Pictures For Toddlers
Bible stories
Children's Books
Early Reader's Bible
100 Bible Stories 100 Bible Songs w/2 CD
Pilgrim's Progress Comic
Spanish Children's Books
365 Activities For Kids:
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365 Read-Aloud Bedtime Bible Stories
The Children's Illustrated Bible
The Picture Bible (also in Spanish)
The Preschooler's Bible
Toddler's Bible
Barnyard Fun — Donut Man (online)
Children's Bible Talk: The Parable of the Sower (online)
From a Seed to a Flower (online)
Ignite Kids: The Parable of the Sower (online)
Kidz Church: The Parable of the Sower (online)
Parable of the Sower (online)
Wesley's Wuppets: The Sower (online)
All the Shows, Volume 1: 1993-1999
Do You Wonder Why? (watch online)
God's Story from Creation to Eternity (listen & watch online)
Read and Share DVD Bible
The Jesus Storybook Bible Curriculum Kit
Bible story DVDs
Children's DVDs
************
RESOURCES FOR TEACHERSKids Travel Guide to the Parables
Object lesson (online)
Spurgeon on The Parable of the Sower (online)
Free Bible story images (online)
801 Questions Kids Ask About God
Absentee Postcards
African American Resources
Almost Every Answer for Practically Any Teacher
Bible for Children in 232 languages (online)
Children's Ministry
Bible Memory Match Game
My Jumbo Bible Story Coloring Book
The Jesus Storybook Bible Curriculum Kit
Big Book of Bible Games
Bulletin Board helps
Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul
Children's Ministry Volunteers That Stick
Children's Sermon (online)
Church Supplies
Closing Prayer (online)
FREE materials to Bible schools, Bible colleges, seminaries,
churches, missionaries & individuals worldwide (online)
52 Games That Teach The Bible
Free educational videos (online)
God's Servants Teach Me
God's Wisdom for Little Boys:
Character-Building Fun from Proverbs
Help! I'm a Sunday School Teacher
How To Lead a Child To Christ
King James Version Gift & Award Bibles
Leading Little Ones to God:
A Child's Book of Bible Teachings
Lord Teach Me To Pray For Kids
Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours
Memory Verse Resources
Object Talks
Opening Prayer (online)
Parenting Resources
Pray & Play Bible for Young Children
Puppet Scripts
Review Activities for Bible Lessons (online)
Seven Laws of the Learner
Spanish Resources
Sunday school resources
Sunday School Songs: Lyrics and Tunes (online)
Talking to God
Teachers' Reproducible Classroom Pages
Teaching Children Memory Verses Ages 4-5
Teaching Children To Pray Ages 4-5
Teaching to Change Lives
The Beginner's Bible Curriculum Kit
The Humongous Book of Bible Skits
for Children's Ministry
Vacation Bible School
What Every Sunday School Teacher Should Know
Children's resources (online)
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