Tag: Good Ground

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Growing “In Him”

It is my prayer that you gained new insight for your daily walk with the Lord because of our brief study of “in Him” and “in Christ”. Over the next week or so I will be sharing some thoughts from God’s word that you have probably heard before but if you start each day’s reading reminding yourself that you are in Him I know the Lord will give you a greater understanding of these truths.

The Bible has much to say about seeds, planting and growing. God intended for nature to be an example for us to learn from and live by. We see what good soil, the right amount of water and sunshine can do on a daily basis. The trees in our yards and parks flourish; the pastures grow and provide food for the cattle; the desert has its own beauty from the vegetation that grows there. Yes, it’s all around us!

Jesus taught parables about farmers growing seeds and protecting what they had planted. In one of my favorite stories He warns of birds coming to eat the seeds that are unprotected and of weeds that choke out the plants while they are young. Finally He tells of the harvest that comes when the seeds are well cared for and allowed to grow. Jesus makes this correlation:

“This is what the story means: The seed is God’s message, 12 and the seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But the devil comes and snatches the message out of their hearts, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it. But they don’t have deep roots, and they believe only for a little while. As soon as life gets hard, they give up.

14 The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they are so eager for riches and pleasures that they never produce anything. 15 Those seeds that fell on good ground are the people who listen to the message and keep it in good and honest hearts. They last and produce a harvest.” Luke 9:11-15 CEV

The seed, God’s word, is perfect. It will grow anywhere but it must be protected to bring a harvest. Did you notice that Jesus said if we keep it “in” our hearts it will produce? In the book of John, chapter one, the first thing John says is “in the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God and the word was God”. Jesus is the word of God in the flesh. That makes Jesus and His word the seed that we should be planting in our hearts.

As the seed grows it provides life, protection and safety. God’s word will do the same in our lives and the lives of those around us.

“Then Jesus said, “What can I use to show you what God’s kingdom is like? What story can I use to explain it? 31 God’s kingdom is like a mustard seed, which is smaller than any other seed on earth that you can plant. 32 But when you plant it, it grows and becomes the largest of all the plants in your garden. It has branches that are very big. The wild birds can come and make nests there and be protected from the sun.” Mark 4:30-32 ERV

A mustard seed will germinate in about five to ten days if the soil conditions are right. The black mustard tree, referred to in the verses above, will grow to an average of three to five feet tall and can continue to grow up to ten to fifteen feet tall.

When we allow God’s word to grow in our lives we can be a blessing and a place of rest and safety to those around us. God’s word is powerful but if we allow the day to day cares of life to take hold in our hearts they can choke out the growth of God’s word. We must keep our focus on God’s ability and not our inability.

“I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. 2 May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.” II Peter 1:1-2 NLT

Be blessed and grow!

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Preparing For A Harvest

In the days when fields were cultivated by hand rocks had to be removed before the seeds could be planted. The ground had to be broken up and turned over either with a shovel, hoe or a plow. The stones would be unearthed and removed, generally they were placed at the edge of the fields.

The same holds true in our lives. The Bible teaches us that God’s word is good seed and if we plant it in our hearts we will receive a plentiful harvest.

“I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness,  and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’” Hosea 10:12 NLT

If seed is just scattered on top of the dirt and not planted in the soil properly production will be greatly hindered. Some of the seed will be eaten by birds, some will blow away, some will be hampered by the rocks and some will find good soil and grow well.

It’s a foolish farmer that sows seed so frivolously. With a little extra work and a little more time the ground can be properly prepared and a greater yield achieved. I’ve learned that lesson well from gardening. Plants don’t like rock infested ground. The roots struggle as they seek to go deeper in the soil, carrots that encounter rocks during the growth are misshaped and twisted when they are harvested.

“Now listen to the meaning of the story about the farmer: 19 The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message about the kingdom, but don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches the message from their hearts. 20 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it right away. 21 But they don’t have deep roots, and they don’t last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.

22 The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. 23 The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and understand the message. They produce as much as a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was planted.” Matthew 13:18-23 CEV

Our heart is the soil, God’s word is the seed. Prepare the ground, pick out the rocks, protect the seed and we’ll see a harvest of good fruit in our lives!

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Oil & Wine

When we first moved to Rio Rico and began working to make this house our home we quickly became acquainted with the hard, stony, clay infused ground. I don’t think we have ever lived anywhere with soil as hard as here.

It was necessary to soak it for several days, a slow soak, and then use a pick to break through. When the footers were dug for our courtyard wall it took several men, several days to dig deep enough to have a trench that would hold the concrete and rebar for the foundation. When I decided I wanted a flower and vegetable garden we had to mix in many bags of a top soil/garden soil mixture just to provide a good environment for them to grow.

Hard ground. Stony earth. Both of these prevent proper growth of the seeds that are planted. To have a good and healthy growing environment the soil needs to be broken up, the rocks removed and good earth mixed in. The same is true of our hearts.

“The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.” Mark 4:16-17 NLT

I know what it’s like to work with hard soil, the time it takes to get a good harvest and I know what it’s like to have an unproductive heart and the time it takes to see a good harvest there, as well.

” I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness,  and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’” Hosea 10:12 NLT

For years I had memorized Bible verses for Sunday School contests and awards at Vacation Bible School but all they were, were words on a page. My heart was hard and there wasn’t much fruit. But I remember when I prayed “Lord, I want to know your Word. I want the Holy Spirit to make it come alive in me.”. It was only a couple days later, as I sat at my kitchen table, Bible open before me and I read…

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. ” Philippians 4:19 NKJV

I had memorized this verse over twenty years earlier but it had never taken root. That day as I read it out loud, I began to cry. That Bible verse, that seed, planted in the soil of my softened heart, took root and immediately brought a harvest of hope. That was just one of many examples I could share with you.

If the soil in a garden isn’t tilled regularly it will harden. It needs to be watered and the sun baked surface needs to be broken up. The same is true of our lives. Our hearts can become hardened and the seed of God’s word won’t produce a good harvest. So, we must break it up with repentance and water it with prayer.

When our older children were in high school, they went to a winter camp with the church group. The kids came home and on a Sunday evening sang a song they had learned at camp. The words of that song are still captured in my heart. The song was written by Keith Green, My Eyes are Dry.

“My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me

But what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love
Please wash me anew
With the wine of Your Blood

The good news is we don’t have to go through the dry spells. We can keep our hearts tender and always producing good fruit if we work the soil everyday. We do that with prayer and applying God’s word.

Reading the Bible and praying doesn’t get the Father to love us any more than He already does. But it does keep us in constant remembrance of His promises and HIs love.

Maybe you’re like I was, hard and unproductive. Let the oil and wine soft you again.

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