Parable of the Sower – The Good Soil
As we have been going through this parable I really hope that you have begun to see how deep these words of Jesus are, and how relevant they are to us today. Isn’t it amazing that these words spoken by a Galilean carpenter more than 2000 years ago still speak directly into our lives today! The Bible is an extraordinary book, Jesus is God! Today as we wrap up this series on the parable of the soils we will have a look at the final type of soil, as Jesus calls is the good soil. Matthew 13v8: “…Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty…” and Matthew 13v23: “…As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” Let’s dig in and see what Jesus is saying.
Christian, are you the good soil? The image is simple, the seed that lands on good soil, grows up and produces a crop more than the seed itself. The one seed produces a whole harvest of other seeds! What are the criteria of this? Well Jesus says that the good soil is like the person who hears the word and understands it. This is a vital element to those who desire to be like this good soil, when we hear the message, or when we read the Bible, we must seek to understand it. Growing in God is like mining for gold, no one walks around and picks up gold off the ground, rather people work hard for it. Therefore, it must be with us, we should strive to know the message of God. We don’t ask others to chew our food for us so that we can just swallow it, so why do we expect others to just tell us what God wants from us without us putting in the hard work.
The big question that we must ask is; “In what way am I like this soil?” This soil produces fruit, the seed that was sown produces a harvest, are you producing fruit? The Biblical idea of salvation is that as Christians we are to be at work for God, wherever He has placed us. So then the question is, are you working to extend the Kingdom of God where you are. What have you done for God in this last year, how have you been deliberate in extending His Kingdom amongst the people you are in contact with. Remember that the reason we desire to do this is because Jesus has paid the price for our sins, and because of Him we have been forgiven by God, therefore we should seek to serve God in this way. Maybe this last wasn’t a good one for you spiritually, then seek to return to Him, and ask Him what He would have you to do for Him. Remember this one awesome fact, the small amount of time that you spend serving God this side of eternity can yield eternal rewards! Because of God’s love for us let’s serve Him with our lives.
