Spiritual Soil
I love growing a passionfruit vine, my last passionfruit vine was amazing, the vine was healthy, strong, green and the fruit each season was abundant and delicious. I have grown passionfruit vines for years, but not every vine has been successful. Some vines just didn’t grow, others never flowered. The success of any plant is having good healthy soil. The health of the soil influences the health of the plant and what it produces. The same is true with our lives, have you ever considered your heart being like soil? It sounds like a strange thought, but when we listen to what Jesus taught about hearing his Gospel message it makes more sense.
One parable Jesus taught went like this... “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop---a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 13:3-9,NIV
The parable tells us a simple story about God’s truths being spoken to our lives, there are times when our lives reflect the different soils Jesus mentioned, hard, rocky, thorns and good soil. Some soil conditions makes hearing good news of Jesus hard to hear. Our fears, worries or hurts from life can be like the hard, rocky and thorny soils. But there is hope.
The message of Jesus is one of Good News, his message to humanity is one of forgiveness, grace freedom and love, this message is for all people of all nations to hear and receive. This is the good news we have just celebrated at Easter. In this parable Jesus teaches us that the Jesus is the farmer, the seed is his good news and we are the soil. The condition of our soil influences how we receive God’s message of love, hope and forgiveness. The parable reminds us that Jesus is always seeking to share is message of love and grace to humanity, and the condition of our heart can be changed and made healthy to receive his love afresh today. As you read this, may it spur you to pause and ask yourself, what is the condition of my spiritual soil today? Seek Jesus afresh today, he desires to see your life be like a healthy passionfruit vine, full of life, green leaves and a fruitful life of joy in him.
Joshua Duncan
Pastor
One parable Jesus taught went like this... “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop---a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 13:3-9,NIV
The parable tells us a simple story about God’s truths being spoken to our lives, there are times when our lives reflect the different soils Jesus mentioned, hard, rocky, thorns and good soil. Some soil conditions makes hearing good news of Jesus hard to hear. Our fears, worries or hurts from life can be like the hard, rocky and thorny soils. But there is hope.
The message of Jesus is one of Good News, his message to humanity is one of forgiveness, grace freedom and love, this message is for all people of all nations to hear and receive. This is the good news we have just celebrated at Easter. In this parable Jesus teaches us that the Jesus is the farmer, the seed is his good news and we are the soil. The condition of our soil influences how we receive God’s message of love, hope and forgiveness. The parable reminds us that Jesus is always seeking to share is message of love and grace to humanity, and the condition of our heart can be changed and made healthy to receive his love afresh today. As you read this, may it spur you to pause and ask yourself, what is the condition of my spiritual soil today? Seek Jesus afresh today, he desires to see your life be like a healthy passionfruit vine, full of life, green leaves and a fruitful life of joy in him.
Joshua Duncan
Pastor