Seeds Planted in Good Soil
Growing a garden can be a great challenge. Of course, we need to use good seeds that will germinate and grow into healthy plants. We also need a lot of sunshine and rain to cause them to grow. However, the single most important factor is the soil. If the soil doesn't hold the moisture, and it is not very fertile, it will not produce much. The soil has to be prepared, too, so the seeds will sink in easily and grow through the ground easily. I think this is why Jesus told the parable of sower, which is sometimes called the parable of the soils. (Matthew 13:8) In this parable Jesus had the seeds fall on 4 types of soil, and only one of them was good soil. However, when the seeds were sown on the good soil, there was a yield of one hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. That type of fruit would give a lot of increase wouldn't it? That is what Jesus wants from all of us.
If we are good soil, our heart will be prepared to receive the seeds of the Word of God. The Word of God will sink into our heart, we will understand it, and we will do what it says. Then, we will see the Word of God influence others, whose hearts are good soil. We will keep bearing fruit, and they will keep bearing fruit, until there are hundreds of new believers, and those believers will be ready to continue producing good fruit for the Kingdom of God. The good fruit is other people coming to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. This is what we call "multiplication of disciples." When we are good soil, we do not just add one or two new believers by our witness. We produce disciples who make more disciples. That way the world can come to know Jesus very quickly. The key is for us to test the soil of our heart. Do we see a hundredfold new believers, or sixty, or thirty? The truth is that very few believers are truly good soil according to this parable of Jesus. However, we still have time to prepare our hearts to bear much fruit before it is too late. I pray we will.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Matthew 14-17.