 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Article Archive |
2007
Seed, Sower and Soil
by Jim Morris
A Texas summer can scorch the ground so severely that it sometimes looks like a massive puzzle from all of the cracks. Add some dogs to your backyard to pound the grass into oblivion and just see if you can make your yard beautiful. However, there is one place that always looks attractive in Fort Worth, Texas -- The Colonial Golf Course. The grass looks and feels like a luxurious carpet!
I decided to make my mom’s backyard like that golf course one summer. I went to the hardware store and bought the same grass seed that Colonial used. The instructions were simple. Just scatter the seed over the ground and lightly water each day. I tried it out but had very disappointing results. Only weak, little patches of grass popped up here and there. What went wrong? The seed was the best I could find. Sowing was not hard or complicated. I just had to broadcast the seed. Yet, hardly anything grew.
Jesus turned to the mixed crowds of Israel to teach them in parables (Matthew 13:1-3). He taught them that the responsibility of growing the kingdom of heaven does not rest solely with the “seed” (the Word of God) or the “sower” (the Christian teacher and preacher). Instead, the “soil” has very much to do with how well the seed takes root. As Jesus scanned the people of God’s hearts, he saw four kinds of soils.
Some human hearts are “hardened” and unreceptive like beaten down paths (13:4, 19). The seed falls on them but cannot penetrate the surface in order to grow its roots. Satan quickly steals the seed away like a hungry bird. Unfortunately, those people go away unchanged and unrepentant after hearing God’s word.
Other human hearts are “shallow” like the soil dusting a rock ledge (13:5-6, 20-21). They are quick to accept Christ and just as quick to leave Him. They are the “easy come, easy go” folks. They have no depth of character or commitment to God. They, too, are left unchanged.
Still other human hearts are “troubled” with the thorns of this life (13:7, 22). They are trying to juggle too many things. They are people “on the move” with places to go and things to do. Yet, their multitude of concerns ultimately choke out the growth of God’s Word in their lives. They remain fruitless, paralyzed or dead.
Finally, a few human hearts are “good” like rich, deep, receptive soil (13:8-9, 23). All thorns are carefully removed daily and the soil of their hearts are enriched and tilled to promote growth. God’s word can produce an abundant harvest among them at the proper time.
Each of us is like a blade of grass (1 Peter 1:23-25). Will God ever have a beautiful lawn of believers here at Dixon? The seed is perfect. Sowing is simple. Yet, how is your soil? How do you hear God’s Word today?
11-21-07
# 47
