Good Soil + Good Seed = Good Fruit

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

                                                                        (Matt 13:3-9 KJV)

So many times I have been told by people that they just do not understand the scriptures when they are read to them during worship or even when they read them themselves. They do claim to understand what the preacher says in his or her sermons; but, not the word of God. At times like that I cannot help but wonder what the preacher is saying. Is the preacher really proclaiming the word of God or speaking to please the itching ears? Could it possibly be that the itching ears will hear only what they want to hear?

Good soil is soil that will receive a good seed helping the good seed to be fruitful.  The good soil is our hearts and minds. The good seed is the word of God. When the word of God is planted in an open heart and mind; the word which is planted will bring forth much fruit for the Kingdom of God. 

Alas, when the word of God is planted in a stony heart or mind, it just may catch hold for awhile but will soon wither away bearing no fruit for the Kingdom of God.

May God our Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit open that hearts, minds, eyes and ears of us all that we might have a greater understanding of all that our Lord Jesus, who is the Word, loves us and has done for us so that we in turn might glorify His Holy Name in all that we say and think and do. 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

A Fertile Heart

In Stony Places

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

                                                                                  (Luke 8:11-15 KJV)

I thoroughly enjoy the scenery at Pte. Abbeye. I love the sound of Lake Superior crashing against the rocks; the view of the Huron Islands in the distance; the walk through the woods to get to the point. The woods is lush and green. However, the point itself is rock upon rock. Amazingly you will see grass and flowers growing in the crevices. They are few and far between. They are pretty; yet, they are very fragile. They are highly vulnerable to the elements. The waves get a little to big and they will be washed away. The sun beating on the rocks may cause them to wither and die. 

It is very difficult for anything to grow in rocky places. It is just as difficult for the word of God to flourish in a cold and stony heart or mind as it is for flowers to grow in a bed of rocks. 

If your heart has grown cold and stony, do not despair. There is nothing too hard for the Lord. He can turn that stony heart into a heart that is warm and ready to be sown with the seed that will produce much fruit. This is the Lord's promise:  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. (Ezek 36:26)

May God bless you with a fertile heart so that the seed which he plants may flourish.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Yielding Fruit?

Blessed is the one
   who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3 NIV)

At the least change or disruption to life there are those who cause so much drama one would think the world was ending. These ones not only do not bear good fruit; but, often cause more disruption. They are like grass blowing in the wind; mowed over at the landowners earliest convenience. Afraid that their personal sovereignty will end with change, they will fight it tooth and nail, interfering with growth; interfering with the bearing of much fruit.

But, the one who loves the Lord and considers the way He would have us go is like the tree that is firmly planted in soil beside streams of water. On the riverbanks of my home in Aura and on the canal where I now live in Flagler Beach, many of the trees have been blown about by the winds. They are old and have been bent down by the winds of time. They have changed immensely since they were seedlings. Yet, they continue to grow with their roots planted firmly within the soil. The winds nor the waves have been able to take them down.

Change does not necessarily mean death. It often means new life. Even as the trees change with the season, so do all living things. When winter comes, the trees often look like they are dying or even dead. But, then comes spring and new life begins to bear another season of fruit.

The one who drinks of the water of life will live and yield much fruit. Such is the person who delights in the law of the Lord. They change and adapt to the various seasons. They bend from time to time. But, they will not break.

May you drink abundantly of the streams of living water provided by Jesus Christ, our Lord that you might follow wherever he would lead bearing much fruit.

God's Peace - Pr. J