Have you ever had a vegetable or flower garden? Isn't it amazing to watch a seed germinate and grow into a plant and bear fruit to eat or flowers to enjoy? My mother and father always had a vegetable garden. My brother and I would often complain about having to help dad dig up the potatoes, but we were always piling them on our plates at dinnertime. Some of the best food I ever had was grown in my own yard.
What does it take to grow a tomato, ear of corn or carrot? Such diversity of foods, yet they are all very edible and tasty. In Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20 and Luke 8:4-15, Jesus shares a parable with His Apostles and teaches them how to apply the lesson. He's talking to us about the freedom of making choices!
Preparing to Teach - Matthew 13:1-3; Mark 4:1; Luke 8:4
Choose an environment that is conducive to communication and learning. Choose a teaching style that works for you in that situation. Jesus frequently used parables to communicate God's truths.
Making Choices - Good Seed, Same Soil, Different Results - Matthew 13:4-9; Mark 4:2-9; Luke 8:5-8
The farmer sows the same seed in four different locations. The soil is the same also, but there are other factors that determine the effectiveness of the seed's productivity. In this parable, you are the farmer. Where you sow your seed is based on the choices you make.
How to Teach Effectively - Matthew 13:10-17; Mark 4:10-12; Luke 8:9-10
In introduction to this parable, the Apostles ask Jesus why He teaches in parables. There are some things that God wants us to figure out for ourselves and there are some things that He wants us to simply believe in Him and trust Him for the details.
Choices - Apply the Lesson - Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:13-20; Luke 8:11-15
Hard ground is like a person who chooses to not go to church, read their Bible, read this devotion or be around Christians because they don't want to be a Christian. They choose to be hard and the seed can't get in to sink roots and push a crop up to the benefit of others. Maybe they have had a bad experience in a church when they were younger. Maybe they have only heard bad things said about Christians and never known someone who was a Christian and could help them see the fruit that Jesus produces in us. If you encounter someone like this, don't waist your seed on that person. They are choosing to be hard soil. Look for better "soil".
The ground with rocks is like someone who chooses to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but seldom go to church, don't read their Bible, pray, worship, give, etc. They have a belief in Jesus in their heads a little, but they are not letting Him into their hearts. They are so busy with their work, hobbies, watching sports or doing everything else than to choose to have time for God. They may claim to believe in Jesus, but they are choosing not to produce any Christian fruit and will soon be totally back "in the world". You might try to help them remove some of the "rocks" in their soil so Jesus can take root and grow. However, if they don't choose to remove those rocks, they will never grow and bear any fruit.
The ground with the weeds is like someone who accepts Jesus, but while they are going to church, they are still choosing to watch shows on television that dishonor God, marriage and the family. Many are choosing to look at pornography, have sex outside of marriage, go to parties and get drunk, us drugs, break the law, etc. Soon, the pursuits of this world will choke what little influence the Church is having on them and they will likewise be lost. They will choose to give in to peer pressure and the temporary pleasures of this world without thinking about what kind of fruit they could be producing for God. Your best hope is to get them to choose to pull the weeds up and get rid of them so Jesus can have the nourishment He needs to change their lives and produce Godly fruit.
The good soil is like those of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We are choosing to learn more about Jesus and bear fruit for Him (See Galatians 5:22-23). We choose to worship, pray, give, help others, share our faith and the hope of heaven with those who are not Christians. We choose to be active in our relationship with Jesus and want to nourish that relationship so it will bear much fruit for His Kingdom. We aren't "religious" or "in your face", but we are not secretive about our faith in God either. We choose to practice what we believe!
The Word of God is the seed! You are the soil (and the sower)! You get to choose what kind of soil you are going to be! What are you doing to yourself to help the seed to grow or die? Are you choosing to be soil that is packed hard and resistant to anyone telling you anything new, different or better? Are you choosing to engaging in sinful activities that compete for the nourishment that the seed needs before it can get enough roots to grow? Are you still choosing to look at pornography, sit-coms on the television, or spending time gambling, going to bars and parties where ungodly things go on? Are you choosing to clutter your soil with obstacles that will hinder the seed from growing? Are things like a job, hobby, friends more important to you than your relationship with God? Or are you going to choose to get rid of the rocks, loosen up your soil, remove the weeds so God's seed can take root and produce His fruit in you?
It is your choice. Jesus is the seed! You are the soil! You have the freedom to choose. What kind of life are you going to produce for God?
God bless you and have a great week!
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