This morning’s blog is a marriage of two thoughts. Complaining is a weed that will stifle our harvest of peace and spiritual growth.
I remember a time that I bought two identical plants. Took them home and repotted them, set them on the watering system so they both got the same amount of water. They sat side by side in the sun. Everything was exactly the same except for the soil and the soil effected the production of the plant.
The Prophet Hosea, the Apostle Paul and Jesus have some important instruction that will help us all to be more fruitful.
“I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’” Hosea 10:12 NLT
You see the plants that I thought were identical had one difference. One had been put in a pot with old, hard soil and the other in a pot with new, fresh soil. Soil makes a difference.
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Matthew 13:3-9 NLT
“The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.” Matthew 13:20-22 NLT
The problem wasn’t with the seed; it was with the soil. God’s word is the seed, our hearts are the soil.
“ If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” I Corinthians 10:12-13 NLT
Paul is giving strong admonition to the Christians in Corinth. Don’t let the temptation to complain and murmur about your circumstances cause you to stray from the Lord.
Their ancestors had seen all of God’s power when He delivered them from Egypt; crossing the Red Sea; living under the pillar of cloud by day; eating manna from heaven; drinking water from a rock and still they complained and rebelled.
Good word for today. How many times a day do we find ourselves complaining about something? How many times are we trusting in our own strength and not His?
It’s time we break up the hard ground, pull some weeds and give the seed of God’s word room to grow!