BIBLE READING: MARK 4:26–32 (KJV)
26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
EXHORTATION
KEY VERSE
“For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” — Mark 4:28 (KJV)
Welcome to Mercy Speaking Devotional on this blessed Saturday, September 19, 2026. One of the most difficult parts of spiritual growth is accepting that genuine change is often slower than we would like. We pray about a weakness and expect it to disappear immediately. We begin a new spiritual discipline and expect maturity within weeks. We surrender an area of our character to God and become discouraged when we discover that there is still much work to be done. We look at other believers and wonder why they seem to be progressing faster. Yet Jesus gives us a picture that should encourage every believer who feels frustrated by slow progress: “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” Growth has stages.
Consider the life of John Bunyan, the English preacher and author of The Pilgrim’s Progress. Bunyan did not emerge overnight as the mature Christian writer whose work would eventually influence generations. In his autobiographical account, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, he described prolonged spiritual struggles, fears, temptations and seasons of intense uncertainty. Later, imprisonment for his nonconformist preaching became another difficult chapter of his life. Yet through years of testing, Scripture, prayer, ministry and suffering, his faith deepened, and some of what God developed through those seasons eventually flowed into writings that survived long beyond him. His story reminds us that some of God’s deepest work in a person’s life happens gradually, often when visible progress appears painfully small.
Jesus’ illustration in Mark 4 is wonderfully simple. A farmer puts seed into the soil. He sleeps and rises, day after day, while something is happening beneath the surface. He cannot stand over the ground and command the seed to become mature corn before evening. The seed has a God-designed process: “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.”
There is a message in those words for anyone becoming discouraged with spiritual growth: do not despise the blade because you were expecting the full corn.
Perhaps you have been praying about your temper, and although you are not yet where you want to be, you now recognise anger more quickly and apologise more readily. That may be a blade.
Perhaps you are learning to forgive. The memory still hurts, but you no longer spend every day imagining revenge. That may be a blade.
Perhaps you once hardly prayed, but you are beginning to seek God consistently, even though concentration remains difficult. That may be a blade.
Perhaps Scripture once meant little to you, but now you increasingly desire to understand God’s Word. That may be a blade.
Do not mistake incomplete growth for absent growth.
Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” The Christian life is not merely a moment of decision; it is also a continuing work of transformation. God receives us by grace through Christ and then works within us so that our lives increasingly reflect the One who saved us.
This does not mean that we should become comfortable with sin or use gradual growth as an excuse for spiritual laziness. There are sins Scripture commands us to forsake, and repentance should never be deliberately postponed. If God has shown you something that must stop, obey Him. If restitution is necessary, make it. If an unhealthy relationship is pulling you away from God, take appropriate action. If you need accountability, seek it. Grace trains us to deny ungodliness, not to protect it.
At the same time, there is a difference between tolerating sin and becoming discouraged because sanctification is not instantaneous. A child learning to walk may fall repeatedly, but the falls do not mean the child is incapable of walking. The important question is whether the child continues getting up and moving forward.
This is where many believers become vulnerable to comparison. You see someone’s visible strength without seeing the years through which God developed it. You admire someone’s prayer life but do not know how long that person has cultivated it. You admire a mature marriage without seeing the forgiveness, conversations, sacrifices and lessons accumulated over decades. You admire someone’s ministry without knowing the hidden seasons of preparation.
Galatians 6:9 therefore tells us, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Weariness often comes when effort and visible results appear disproportionate. You have been sowing, but you cannot yet see the harvest. Scripture says: do not faint.
Some of God’s most important work may presently be happening beneath the surface.
Roots grow before branches can carry fruit. Foundations are laid before buildings rise. Character is formed before responsibility can safely increase. God may be teaching you endurance before enlarging your assignment. He may be developing humility before giving greater influence. He may be correcting hidden attitudes before changing visible circumstances.
You must also learn to cooperate with the process. Spiritual growth does not happen through wishful thinking. Remain in God’s Word. Pray consistently. Obey what God has already shown you. Stay connected to healthy Christian fellowship. Receive correction. Practise forgiveness. Guard what enters your mind. Keep serving. When you fail, confess your sin, receive God’s forgiveness, learn from the failure, and continue walking.
Jesus said in John 15:5, “He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit.” The secret is not frantic self-transformation but abiding in Christ. A branch does not produce fruit by separating itself from the vine and trying harder. Its fruitfulness comes from remaining connected to its source of life.
Perhaps today you feel disappointed with yourself. You thought you would be further along spiritually by now. Do not allow disappointment to become condemnation. Look carefully at what God has already changed. Thank Him for every blade. Then surrender the areas that still require transformation.
And remember that the goal is not simply becoming a better version of yourself. The goal is becoming more like Christ. Second Corinthians 3:18 describes believers as being “changed into the same image from glory to glory.” Transformation is God’s work in us as we continually behold and follow Christ.
You may not see everything God is doing today.
Keep praying.
Keep obeying.
Keep learning.
Keep surrendering.
Keep growing.
The blade is not the harvest, but it is evidence that the seed is alive. What looks small today may be part of something God is patiently bringing toward maturity.
When change feels slow, do not quit. God is still at work.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Are you overlooking the small signs of spiritual growth in your life because you are comparing them with the maturity you have not yet reached?
PRAYER POINTS
- Father, thank You for every work of grace You have begun in my life, even when the progress seems small or difficult to see, in Jesus’ name.
- Lord, give me patience with Your process and deliver me from discouragement, unhealthy comparison, and the temptation to give up when spiritual change feels slow.
- Holy Spirit, reveal every area where I am resisting Your work, and give me grace to repent, obey, and cooperate with Your transforming power.
- Father, strengthen my prayer life, deepen my understanding of Your Word, develop Christlike character in me, and help me remain faithful in the daily disciplines that produce spiritual maturity.
- Lord, complete every good work You have begun in me. Let my life continually grow in holiness, love, faith, wisdom, obedience, and Christlikeness until I bear fruit that glorifies You, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
