Soil Matters

My paternal grandmother was an avid gardener. As a young child, I
marveled at the diversity and size of Nanny's garden, but it wasn't
until I was an adult--and a gardener myself--that I fully understood the
secret of her gardening success. Each year, Nanny mixed large amounts
of manure and compost with the dirt in her back yard, working it into a
dark, rich loam. Had she chosen to skip this all-important task, her
garden would never have reached it's full potential.



In Luke 8,
Jesus told a story about a seed sower. Some of the seed he planted fell
along a pathway where birds gobbled it up before it could take root.
Other seed landed on rocky soil. It sprang up quickly, but because of
shallow roots, quickly withered from heat and lack of moisture. Yet more
seed fell among thorns where it was choked out. Only the seed that fell
on good soil managed to reach maturity, producing a bountiful harvest
in the process.



And when His disciples asked Him what this
parable meant, He said . . . “Now the parable is this: The seed is the
word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the
devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may
not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when
they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they
believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what
fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their
way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and
their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are
those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart,
and bear fruit with patience." ~Luke 8:9, 11-15 (ESV)



APPLICATION:


Be aware of the enemy's tactics. Satan
will stop at nothing to keep us from believing and from bearing fruit.
Once we hear God's truth, we need to take every precaution that we don't
allow the enemy of our souls to snatch God's Word from us, resulting in
unbelief. As we sow seed and make disciples we also need to warn others
of Satan's strategy, so they're prepared.
Understand that trials and testing will come.
While the Bible often mentions the blessings of being a follower of
Christ, it tells of the struggles that will be ours as well. Don't allow
times of trial and temptation to pull you away from God. Instead, let
those hard times send you running to our Father who waits with open
arms.
Maintain your focus. It's so easy to
focus on the temporal, to spend life in selfish and fruitless pursuits.
This world causes our vision to stray to our worries, pleasurable
pursuits, and the accumulation of wealth and possessions. Don't allow it
to happen! Keep your focus on our eternal God and His purposes so you
can bear fruit for the Kingdom.
Hold onto His Word and persevere. Taking
the time and effort to keep our hearts open to God's Word is of utmost
importance. Study the Bible, pray, meditate, so the Word is deeply
planted in the soil of your heart. We must also continue to endure in
our walk of faith in Christ. Only then can we bring forth a bountiful
crop for Him.

Lord, keep the soil of our hearts open to the seed of Your Word so we might be fruitful for Your Kingdom.