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by:  Staci Stallings

Finally we’ve made it to that last type of soil.  First, here’s our story from Luke 8:4-15 once again:

“He spoke by way of a parable: ⁵ “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. ⁶ Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. ⁸ Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

⁹  His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. ¹⁰ And He said, “ To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

¹¹ “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. ¹² Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴ The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”

We’ve examined the seed fallen to the path, in the rocky soil, and into the thorns.  Now we turn our attention to the seed that falls on the good soil.

When you scatter Jesus Seed, some will fall on people who are ready to receive it.  This may be people who have been in the church for a long time or people who have never been to a church.  I think one of the things that can make “good soil,” is if someone has been bad soil for a long time and is just sick of being miserable.

I know that’s how I was when “Grace Walk” and “The Ragamuffin Gospel” came into my life.  I was sick of being miserable.  I was tired of being burned out and ready to try something different.

Interestingly recently I have noticed two friends of mine who have physical issues.  They have tried some things to get well that haven’t worked–or haven’t worked as well as they wanted them to.  A new type of healing treatment has also recently come our way, but they are both skeptical and wary.  Why will this work when the others haven’t?  How much will it cost?  How much time will it take?  Will I have to go back or can they fix it with one visit? I want a guarantee or I don’t even want to try it.

In a way, it’s almost humorous (if they weren’t really in physical pain).

Twice in my life, if you don’t count all the physical things I’ve been through, have I tried one thing after another after another that seemingly “didn’t work.”  The first would be with my spiritual life.  I did a lot of things that were supposed to be Christian, and they ended up burning me out.  The good news is, I didn’t quit searching for the answer that turned out to be the Answer!  I kept trying, kept reading, kept searching until I found that treasure buried in the field.

The other challenge was with my son’s dyslexia.  When I found a program, I got it.  When that didn’t work, I tried physical cures.  When that didn’t work (and God showed up to show me how to help his little eyes), I tried that.  Had that not worked, I would still be trying something new.  Does everything work?  No.  But just because something didn’t work before doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try something new.

To me, that’s being good soil.  It doesn’t mean everything’s going to grow with no tending and no effort.  It means you are open and soft and receptive to what God is putting in your life.

As a sower, these types of people are often easier to deal with–though they will come with plenty of hidden rocks and thorn bushes as well.

So for today, resolve to be good soil.  Open yourself to the possibility of hope and the hope of love.  Experience the transformation that God can make in a life open to Him and His Word.  Plant a Jesus Seed.  Nurture it.  Take care of it.  Watch it grow and multiply in your life.  You will be glad you did!

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