GARDENING
This spring I decided to try to have a garden. My neighbor who is Thai has a gorgeous productive garden and I had hopes of doing a small garden. Alas, the spring rains pounded the soil and the plants, and then it stayed cool forever. Of course, it then became blazing hot. All my hard work was a lost cause and it was mainly due to the poor soil. It had not been worked and good soil needed to be added to it and also some mulch. Our soil is black "gumbo", a clay type soil as hard as my head, unless you are my Thai neighbor!
Reading through Matthew 13 which is the narrative that Jesus told about the farmer and the soils, I was reminded again how important good soil is to the sowing, planting, and harvesting of any produce. Parables were stories thrown along side of a truth which He was trying to teach. He spoke of four soils into which the seed fell: the wayside, the stony place, the thorny place, and good fertile soil.
The soils were metaphors for the kinds of hearers. The wayside soil hearers were those hearers who may heard the gospel so many times, but their hearts were hardened and would not receive the truth. Or they were not able to understand the truth of the gospel that they were hearing. The second hearer was the stony ground hearer. This soil had stones and rock and the seeds could not develop a root to be sustained for winds and heavy rains. Because the plant had no root, it could not take the negative press of the environment. The soil that was fertile into which some seed fell was receptive to all kinds of growing things...weeds and good produce but the good plants were choked out by the thorns and weeds. This hearer may be bombarded with so much information that he may or may not have enough Truth and discernment to differentiate which will produce plants and which will produce weeds. If he is not bombarded with too much information, truth may be choked out by the distractions of this present culture. Only the fourth soil, the good soil, produced a harvest with quality and quantity.
I have the ability to choose the kind of soil I will be and the produce I will have. Scripture suggests 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown. John 15 reminds me that I will have fruit, more fruit, and much fruit if I am willing abide in Christ Jesus. I am promised that the fruit will remain. Holy Spirit produce and bring glory to yourself and the kingdom of the LORD JESUS.
Reading through Matthew 13 which is the narrative that Jesus told about the farmer and the soils, I was reminded again how important good soil is to the sowing, planting, and harvesting of any produce. Parables were stories thrown along side of a truth which He was trying to teach. He spoke of four soils into which the seed fell: the wayside, the stony place, the thorny place, and good fertile soil.
The soils were metaphors for the kinds of hearers. The wayside soil hearers were those hearers who may heard the gospel so many times, but their hearts were hardened and would not receive the truth. Or they were not able to understand the truth of the gospel that they were hearing. The second hearer was the stony ground hearer. This soil had stones and rock and the seeds could not develop a root to be sustained for winds and heavy rains. Because the plant had no root, it could not take the negative press of the environment. The soil that was fertile into which some seed fell was receptive to all kinds of growing things...weeds and good produce but the good plants were choked out by the thorns and weeds. This hearer may be bombarded with so much information that he may or may not have enough Truth and discernment to differentiate which will produce plants and which will produce weeds. If he is not bombarded with too much information, truth may be choked out by the distractions of this present culture. Only the fourth soil, the good soil, produced a harvest with quality and quantity.
I have the ability to choose the kind of soil I will be and the produce I will have. Scripture suggests 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown. John 15 reminds me that I will have fruit, more fruit, and much fruit if I am willing abide in Christ Jesus. I am promised that the fruit will remain. Holy Spirit produce and bring glory to yourself and the kingdom of the LORD JESUS.
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