I’ve had a hard time this summer keeping some of my plants alive. I bought what I knew were hardy plants that are suited for our climate, the Mexican Bird of Paradise, but they failed to grow. In fact, they died.
It’s frustrating.
But there has been some success, and I am so grateful for that. We bought two bougainvillea and also some tecoma stans or bells of fire. They are growing well and my heart is happy.
This morning, it just so happens that I was reading in Mark 4 where Jesus is telling the story about the farmer who was sowing seed in a field. Some of the seed fell on the road, some on rocky ground, some in the weeds and some on good soil. It was a reminder of what I have been through with my plants.
“Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this picture-story? Then how will you understand any of the picture-stories? 14 What the man plants is the Word of God. 15 Those by the side of the road are the ones who hear the Word. As soon as they hear it, the devil comes and takes away the Word that is planted in their hearts. 16 The seed that fell among rocks is like people who receive the Word with joy when they hear it. 17 Their roots are not deep so they live only a short time. When sorrow and trouble come because of the Word, they give up and fall away. 18 The seed that was planted among thorns is like some people who listen to the Word. 19 But the cares of this life let thorns come up. A love for riches and always wanting other things let thorns grow. These things do not give the Word room to grow so it does not give grain. 20 The seed that fell on good ground is like people who hear the Word and understand it. They give much grain. Some give thirty times as much grain. Some give sixty times as much grain. Some give one hundred times as much grain.” Mark 4:13-20 NLV
The seed is God’s word. Sometimes we hear God’s word and it is stolen from our hearts before we have time to see it grow. Our hearts are hardened, and the seeds can’t penetrate. Then other times the Word begins to grow and we are so happy to see God working in our lives but our roots don’t go very deep and when heat and dryness comes, we wither.
Oh, and then there are times when we hear God’s word and it begins to grow. The Word is coming up strong and things look good. Then we get too busy to pull the weeds of selfish ambition, pride, bitterness and a love of other things and the seed gets choked out.
But thank God for the good ground. We hear and understand the Word and it grows and flourishes and we see a fruitful harvest. The blessings that God’s word brings to our lives – forgiveness, joy, healing, peace, patience, self-control and unfailing love.
The four different types of ground were in the same field. We can also have all four kinds of soil in our hearts. Hard places, rocky ones, unattended weeds and good soil. The Bible tells us to break up the hard and rocky ground in our hearts. We should also be on guard against weeds of worry and greed.
And finally, we take care of the seed. We water it and make sure it’s the right kind of seed that will grow even when the climate is harsh. Peter, the disciple of Jesus, said God’s word is incorruptible seed. It will grow and produce when we nurture it.
Let God’s word grow – the harvest is amazing!