Seed Scattered

The  parable I read today was out of Mark 4. Jesus tells the disciples that the Word is like seeds scattered on the ground. Some on rocky ground, some in the thorns, some fell on the path, and some fell on good soil. The sun burned up the plants on rocky ground, the thorns overtook the plants where they were planted, the birds ate the seeds on the path, and the seeds in good soil flourished.

We are the ground. Usually I strive to be a rock, but this time I'm trying to be soft black soil! See... the rock is all about Jesus until things get tough, then they decide to go back to the way things were before. As I've been reading, I'm noticing that the Israelites are often like rocks as they travel through the desert. Every time Moses does something they don't expect, they start to turn away from God.

The seeds on the path never got a chance. Some people are so closed off to Christ that whatever seeds are planted in them are immediately lost to the things of the world. The ground needs to be tilled before the seeds can take root.

Lastly, no one wants to get thrown into thorns, but they are pretty similar to the rocks. Either way, that seed takes root, but then quickly dies out. If you're going to take root... if Jesus is going to be your life, then make sure you're in the good soil! I've talked about those things that make good soil before, but surround yourself with other people that are planted in good soil. Don't think that your seeds are planted in good soil if all the seeds around you are on rocks, paths and in thorns. You want to be in a field of good soil! Then, once your plant is ready to release it's own seeds, send them over to other areas where new soil has been tilled and made ready.

Read and strive to understand what the Bible says to stay in your good soil. Farmers don't plant crops they don't know how to maintain. Certain pests attack certain crops, certain diseases strike certain crops, and the farmer knows what to do when disease and pests start to show up. We need to know the same about how to keep our soil from becoming weakened. We need to make sure our soil keeps the nutrients to keep us growing.

Finally, talk to the Farmer. If you feel disease coming or there's a pest on you that's trying to eat your leaves or your fruit, you got to let God know! We're plants... we can only do so much, but the Farmer - He's got everything that we need to stay healthy and strong in our soil!