Good Ground

Ever wonder why some people who profess to be Christians live like anything but? And some even wilder than the world? I have because I know some and was recently reminded by a friend about the parable of the sower. I’m glad she did because immediately a light went on, making perfect sense of the matter.

In Mark 4 Jesus teaches a crowd about a sower and how some of his seed “fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.” Then some of the other seed “fell on ground full of rocks” and since there was little soil and the seed had no roots it withered as soon as the sun came up. Still more of the seed “fell among thorns and thistles” which completely choked it out. But thank goodness, some seed actually landed on good ground.

Jesus goes on to explain what all this means. The seed is the Word of God. Sometimes it’s forcibly removed by Satan just like the birds that came and ate it. The Word that falls on stony ground has no roots and as soon as the person, who initially received it with joy, encounters trouble or persecution they immediately fall away. The seed choked out by “thorns and thistle” represents those who allow life’s cares and pressures to squeeze everything else out. The “good ground” is obviously those who care enough about the Word to cultivate it, allow it to take root, and give it a priority in their life.

But how can one cultivate good ground? Well . . . by having a teachable spirit. By understanding that Christianity is a walk of a lifetime, that there are no easy fixes, and that we will surely encounter trials and troubles.  And that it is during these trials and troubles that we most need God and need to move closer to Him and not further away. It’s a life of constant dying to self in order to make room for the growing Word. It’s understanding that we’ll never be perfect but that God loves us anyway and that only by His Sprit can we live this life. It’s also remembering those whose seed has been stolen by Satan, or who have turned away because of trouble and persecution, as well as those who are so burdened by the cares of life they have no room or time for anything else. And when we remember them we need to pray that God takes their puny soil and enriches it and cultivates it and makes it fertile much like He did for us for I truly believe all good ground is good only because it was first fertilized by the prayer of others.

Until next time.

Sylvia