Closed or Open?

As we have been studying 'seeds' throughout scripture, we cannot neglect the parable of the sower and the seeds. The seed in this parable is clearly defined by Jesus as the Word of God. The importance of receiving and nurturing the seed is emphasized, but also the condition of the 'soil' or heart of the one who receives the 'seed'. 

This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest. (Luke 8:11-15)

Receptiveness is a key component in determining if the seed sown will actually come to fruition. A closed heart indicates a closed mind. The more we close ourselves off from receiving God's Word (in all its truth), the more we will squelch growth, being open to all manner of deception. An open heart embraces God's word, not always easily, but willingly.

The more we are 'in' God's word, the more we are likely to be challenged to 'correct' or 'embrace' something. Perhaps this is why so many don't take the time to discover what is within his word - they don't want to change, and they fear what they might be asked to embrace. Our enemy, the devil, works overtime to keep us out of God's word and if he cannot do that, he works overtime to steal away any hope of transformation we may have after reading it.

When we embrace God's word, we are welcoming change. That may frighten some, but truth cannot abide untruth, so God will 'weed out' any lies of the devil we have embraced, replacing them with his truth. Unyielding, unprepared soil might just require a bit more 'tilling' than we'd like. When God sets his sights on the soil of our hearts, what will he find? Just askin...

A little acid might just do the trick

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. (Galatians 6:7-8)

We've discussed many times how actions have consequences. We reap one seed and expect some other harvest to come from it. That's just plain silly - a seed is meant to reproduce, but of its 'own kind'. For this very reason, we need to be mindful of the seed we sow. Soil matters, too, for bad soil with good seed is just 'wasted seed'. Good soil and good seed have the potential to produce a 'bumper crop', especially when both are in the hands of God. There are some 'practices' we engage in over and over again that consistently produce good harvests. Things like taking time in his word, worshipping him, and sharing life with others in the faith are never wasted 'seed'. They also serve to keep the 'soil' of our hearts in tip-top condition.

It is never 'fruitless' to engage in activities that help us to grow or that create an environment that actually assists others to grow. We cannot overestimate the value of what we could label as 'spiritual actions' that God commands us to take. In other words, when God says something, we are to act upon it because those actions either prepare the soil or they are the seed that will produce much fruit within our lives. The more we resist these 'actions', the poorer the condition of our heart's soil will become. I live in Arizona and the caliche soil here makes it very difficult to plant fruit-bearing plants or trees. The soil has to go through a lot of 'amendment' or 'conditioning' before it is ready for the plant. In much the same way, the soil of our heart needs 'amending' or 'conditioning' in order to receive the seed.

The 'calcium carbonate' in our soil here actually a good thing in small quantities. It is the effect it has on the silt, sand, gravel and clay in our soil that isn't all that good. It actually works to 'bind' all those together, making the soil rather 'solid' and impenetrable. We have to acidify the soil, add things like mulch, and then work to break it up in order to plant things. Sometimes there is a little 'acid' needed in order to break up the hardness of our heart's soil. Don't be surprised when God goes after 'solidified' areas of your heart - he is doing it because the seed stands no chance until he does! Just sayin...

A Gardener's Delight

We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. (Colossians 1:9-10)

The moment we say 'yes' to Jesus, this 'grow as you learn' thing begins to happen. We might 'know' a little bit about God from what he has created, for creation speaks of him all around us. We might 'know' something about him because we went to church as a kid and heard 'things' about what he had done in the past. This walk with Jesus really begins in earnest once we move from just knowing 'things' about God into a place of really learning from him directly.

Good fruit is produced at the hand of a skilled gardener. I have tried my hand at planting this or that in the 'garden', but I must not be a gardener. In truth, what I am not - a patient, attentive worker in the garden. I can prepare the soil, bring home the seedlings, plant them, ensure they have water, and then I kind of leave it be. I forget it needs tending. Leaves need nipped, soil needs to be loosened, bugs need to be sprayed away, and buds need to be pollinated.

It is a good thing God is not a gardener who 'plants' and then 'forgets' to tend. He spends a tremendous amount of time 'tending' the garden of our hearts because he is looking for the very best harvest of fruit. Things in our character that will honor and please him are being produced - to neglect such good fruit would be terrible. We might not even realize the fruit is there in our lives, because just like in my raised garden beds, some of the greatest finds have been behind the leaves in my garden.

Prepared soil will not always ensure a good harvest. Tended gardens are what produce the ample harvest that will keep us well-nourished and 'healthy' for a good long time. Nothing please God more than asking to have the 'garden of our hearts' tended under his watchful and skillful hand. Just sayin!

Consider what your soil bears

Virgil was a Roman poet of long ago, but these words remind us of the importance of considering where it is we both sow and reap: "Consider what each soil will bear, and what each refuses." The type of soil is important because it directly correlates to what will be either accepted and produce, or what will be rejected, leaving good seed to become withered or choked out in time. What is the soil of your heart really like? At this very moment, would you say your heart's soil is well-cultivated, capable of bearing a bountiful harvest? Or would you say there are portions of your heart that haven't embraced anything worthwhile in a good long while? It could be we need to listen to what God is telling us about the condition of our hearts - because the good seed will never be embraced and produce a good harvest if the soil is never prepared!

Can papyrus grow tall on a dry land? Can reeds grow without water? No, they will dry up before harvest. They will be too small to cut and use. People who forget God are like that. Those who oppose him have no hope. They have put their trust in something weak. It is like a spider’s web. When they lean against it, it will break. When they reach out for it, it will not hold them up. Such people are like a vine that gets plenty of water and sunshine, and its branches spread throughout the garden. Its roots spread among the rocks, searching for good soil. But if you move it, it will die, and no one can tell it was ever there. Everything might have been going well, but another vine will take its place. God does not support evil people, and he does not abandon the innocent. (Job 8:11-18)

Seeds need the right soil. If you want weeds to grow, do you have to invite them? No, they seem to find the 'right place' to grow! A reed is a tall form of what some come to think of as 'grass' - it needs pretty moist soil in which to send down its roots. It cannot grow apart from the 'right soil' it needs. Did you realize when you refer to someone as a 'reed', you are really saying they are people who are weak or impressionable? Their roots are planted, they show signs of being strong, but they move like crazy! The water dries up and they are not able to sustain life any longer. They become useless because they have no solid foundation for their growth - their resources for growth evaporate! 

The vine may grow a little stronger because it has 'searching roots', but it really has 'wandering roots'. The purpose of the roots going outward is so that it can find another place to surface - to send up growth. It may not be in the ideal place, or even desired growth, but it sends out the root in search of that next place to emerge. Vines are known for their 'clinging roots' - they not only wander, but they like to 'cling' to whatever they come in contact with. The problem is that they may not always be in contact with the best stuff that will produce the most fruitful of growth. They have something the reed does not - clinging tendrils. These tendrils may keep them in place, but they don't serve to ensure they have a good footing!

The type of soil is important, but so is the root system we are trying to cultivate. We can be trees planted by the stream, with strong tap roots that won't settle for mediocre growth, clinging onto whatever we can find. As trees send down that tap root, it isn't for show - it is for stability and growth. Did you realize that the root system of any growing thing actually weighs more than the thing produced? Why? It is the source of all that surfaces! There can be evidence of growth, but the question is if all the growth we give evidence of is really the growth God desires. Just sayin!

Seeds - we need two types

What kind of seeds do you have planted? It is just about the time of year when folks begin to start their seedlings under grow lights in some protected environment, readying the starter plants for the spring planting season. Various vegetables and herbs will begin their growth - seeds sprouting under the watchful care of those who desire those gardens to flourish this coming growing season. The truth of the matter is that the gardener does not just plant any old type of seed - he plants corn seeds if he wants corn, eggplant if he desires that growth, and flower seeds if he wants to adorn the garden with some manner of color to attract the pollinating insects. It would be insane to think he could just plant one type of seed and expect all kinds of harvest of different produce! His harvest will depend on the seeds - not just that something was planted!

Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God’s people, Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil. (Psalm 97:11)

Light seeds and joy seeds - two types of seeds that produce a little bit of a different harvest in the heart and soul soil of each of us. I am a little bit more concerned with the light seed first - because when the soul has been cultivated with the right seed, the heart will be receptive to the seeds of joy that soon get cultivated deep within your heart. Light seeds might just be likened to the seeds that produce the types of growth that yield a harvest of fruit - like the gardener's planting of the corn and eggplant seeds. The joy seeds are maybe just a little bit more like the flower seeds he plants. One produces things that change us from the inside out. The other bring what is on the inside and put it on beautiful display for others to see.

The soul isn't always the most receptive of soil, though. If you have ever tried to grow much in this desert soil in Arizona, you will realize quickly that the alkaline content of the soil limits the growth. There is much work that must be done to neutralize and bring a balance to the soil so it will produce. Much in the same way, the soul soil within our lives needs a lot of cultivating in order to be readied to receive the light seed. There are stones to be removed and soil to be turned so it is can absorb the nutrients that will be added. The nutrients added, it must be watered and maintained. The soil is not receptive to the seed until it is readied. The soul is not receptive to light until it has realized the darkness cannot produce the goodness it desires!

There is something I have realized about the 'light seed' God plants. It doesn't take much 'soul soil' to allow it to begin to grow. The smallest amount of soul soil can begin to allow the growth of the light. Once there is light seed planted, the condition of the soul soil begins to change and as it does, the soil of our soul becomes more and more receptive to receiving more and more of the light seed. We may not realize the bounty of the harvest until we begin to see the second type of seed taking root deep within our hearts, though. For the joy seed begins to permeate the ground of our hearts and as it does, we begin to give evidence of the work being done within us by the light seed. As the blooms of the flower plant begin to attract the 'pollinators', the blooms of joy begin to attract the things within our lives that will help us to grow even stronger in the goodness and grace of God. 

We need both seeds - light and joy. We need to remember they work on different soil patches within our lives - one the soul, the other the heart. Both need to be cultivated - both yield a unique harvest. One might flourish within, the other gives evidence that there is growth taking place! Just sayin!

Opportunistic Seed

Okay, you have probably heard this parable once or twice.  If not, this may not do it justice, but it may give us some "seed thoughts" upon which we can allow God's Spirit to develop over time.  A farmer planted.  One thing is for sure - seed purposefully planted is a wondrous thing.  Your gardens and fields can be filled with all kinds of manner of growing things - because of purposeful planting.  Just as amazing to me is the seeming strength of the stuff which is NOT purposefully planted in our gardens or fields!  How is it they manage to get there in the first place, or find root?

A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.  (Matthew 13:3-8 The Message)

I know Jesus was teaching some specific principles from this parable, but will you indulge me a little to bring a little bit of a twist on it?  First of all, I'd like to explore this idea of a "farmer planting seed".  The idea of planting suggests a whole lot of preparation PRIOR to planting.  Someone has gone to a whole lot of work to prepare the soil to RECEIVE the seed.  Now, don't get me wrong, I find this task daunting.  Most of the enjoyment I get out of my garden is only realized when I invest the time!  If I want to see bigger blossoms on the hibiscus, I need to turn the soil once in a while and add in the much needed nutrients so missing in this Arizona soil.  When I do, I enjoy a season of blossoms.  If I don't...it is green, but without evidence of what it is capable of producing.

The same is true of us.  Soil prepared yields much more - the purpose for which we were planted begins to become evident in our lives.  We begin to fulfill the purpose for which we were created.  In time, we get exactly what we were willing to invest!

Soil is not the only thing pictured here - there is the idea of purposeful planting.  Now, don't get me wrong - fields of wildflowers are indeed beautiful, but most of the "beauty" is really weed!  Over the course of a short period of time, four trees took root in a very rocky patch in my side yard.  At first, I thought I'd let them grow because it was the west side of the house and any shade in this Arizona sun is greatly coveted.  They grew quickly - without any attention from me.  They needed no watering system - they seemed to find their own.  There was no need to fertilize - they were green and hearty all without my constant doting.

Now, in a course of a couple of years, these were over thirty feet tall and with branch expanses 10 feet in length.  They blossomed in the Spring with bright yellow blossoms, were green all year round, and provided much needed shade to this western exposure.  What more could I possibly want?

Well, for one, nothing of life was produced "from" the tree.  In fact, even the birds could not take nest in their expanses because they did not provide enough shelter to even allow the sparrows a home.  They were strong trees - but their strength provided no shelter.  In fact, other than a few ant piles underneath, nothing seemed to enjoy their growth - in the end, neither did I!

The branches began to expand out over the roof of the house, rubbing constantly on the edges of the eaves and shingles.  The edges of my shingles looked more like jagged shark's teeth than perfectly squared off edges!  I was constantly having to scale the steep slant of the rooftop to sidle out to the point I could lop the off and free the shingles from their prickly attacks.

The kids could not climb them - they were full of sharp, pain-invoking spikes.  Prick yourself with one of them and you'd hurt for days - even so much as to set up small pockets of infection inside the wound.  They dropped tons of leaves resembling pine needles.  The lizards enjoyed hiding in the mounds they created, but the yard was constantly a mess.

Now, let me just say this - these trees grew from seed.  The seed was indeed NOT planted on purpose.  What promised growth looked pretty interesting at first.  In the course of time, that which was "opportunistic" in its planting also became a torturing thing in my life!  The trees were no longer promising in their growth - they were a burden!

The same is true when we allow seeds to be planted in our lives which are of the "opportunistic" type.  We may think all "seed" has potential, but if we never check it out in the "user-manual" to see what will actually be produced by the "seed", we may be surprised at how much the thing which grows produces nothing more than pricking thorns!

In time, I had my brother and his son spend a couple of days with a chain saw cutting those trees down to the quick.  Over the next couple of years, I had to constantly cut down the growth which wanted to re-emerge from the remaining stumps.  Finally, it took a couple hours of burning the stumps to cease the growth!  You read it right - fire!  I had to ignite the stumps with lighter fluid and watch them burn ever so close to the house - vigilant to ensure they did no further damage.  

Even the wood they cut from the tree was not worthy to be called firewood.  Why?  It was covered in so many of these thorns, anyone grabbing them to put into the fireplace would be speared!  So, it was hauled away to the dump. There, it could do as it pleased!  If it wanted to spring up in the midst of the garbage - I really did not care - just as long as it was not in my yard any longer!

My focus this morning is to share the importance of not only prepared soil, but in the purposeful planting of the seed.  Seed which is purposefully planted has specific purpose - there is something we desire, potential we don't realize possible, and enjoyment we could not imagine otherwise.  Opportunistic seed comes our way quite frequently - born on the winds of storms, carried by the birds.  The thing about opportunistic seed - it needs very little tending to take root.  It grows almost unattended.  Purposeful seed needs much tending.  But...opportunistic seed almost always produces something which is nothing more than a burden to you in the end!  Just sayin...

Soul Soil

^14-15"The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.  ^16-17"And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.  ^18-19"The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.  ²⁰"But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams."

(Mark 4:14-20)

Mom asked me to get some planting soil the other day so that we could freshen up a large houseplant she nurtured from just a small plant.  Over the course of time, soil has settled within the large pot, resulting in a packed condition to the soil housing this plant.  It continues to do well, but Mom is aware that the condition of the soil determines the condition of what it produces.  If we "refresh" the soil, the plant will do even better.

The same principle applies to the soil of our soul - good soil will readily receive the Word of God and will bring forth much new growth, while hardened and dry soil will be much more difficult to yield any growth.  Jesus tells a story one day along the Sea of Galilee.  Hundreds, if not thousands, gather to hear his stories of life.  Today's story involves something that most in the region could associate with - sowing seed into various soils of the region.  Any farmer will tell you that the soil is everything when considering where to plant your seed and what seed to plant.  Yes, you need water, sunshine, and the right amount of hot or cool temperatures to produce the crop you desire, but if the soil was not right, the other things don't really matter.

Soul soil has really four conditions according to Jesus' story.  They are:  Hard or Packed, Rocky, Occupied, and Tilled.  Each type of soil determines what (if anything) is produced and how well it is produced.

• Hard or Packed Soul Soil:  1) Seed simply "falls upon it" - there is no penetration of the seed into the soil.  Without some measure of being "buried" into the soil, the efforts of that seed to spring forth into something resembling life will come to naught.  2) Seed falling on this type of hardened surface is subject to the elements and the birds that quickly recognize their opportunity for "fast food"!  It is like hanging out a McDonald's sign for the birds!  Within minutes, they can pick that field clean!  3) It is soil, but it is not readied - not conducive to embracing what is sown.
• Rocky Soul Soil:  1) The seed actually "gets into" the soil, but it has no real depth of growth.  The fact of the matter is that the tender roots of new growth just cannot handle the pressures of the rocks.  2) The roots spring forth in an enthusiastic display of new growth, but it nothing more than "surface growth".  Because there is a lack of depth, the energy of growth will soon be too much for the seed.  Heat of day warms the gravel and soon wilts the growth.  There is much more to seeing growth in our lives than simply responding with enthusiasm to the opportunity to grow!
• Occupied Soul Soil:  1) This is actually not bad soil - it is able to produce growth quickly.  In other words, there is a responsiveness of soul that embraces the Word.  The soil produces growth, but it is preoccupied soil!  2) The other occupants of the soil garner as much, if not more, attention than the fresh seed.  Anxieties and pressures are all around us - the seeds of new growth sown into the midst of these things finds it hard to be the "only crop" produced from that soil.
• Till Soul Soil:  1) The farmer has been at work here - the soil is turned over and over, exposing the rocks that need removing, breaking up the clods of barren soil, and turning over into the soil those things that would block growth if they were allowed to grow up taller or in greater quantity than the new seeds sown.  2) The work of the farmer has prepared the soil - there is a receptiveness of the soil for the seed that is sown.  3) Roots can go deep where soil is prepared.  Roots are paramount to growth.  A lack of root system will ensure a dwarfed growth.  The strongest crops establish good root systems quickly in order to tap into the nourishment needed for growth.

What is the condition of your "soul soil" today?  Does it need a little weeding? Are there a few "rocky" places in your soil that need some turning over until they are removed?  Regardless of the soil, the seed falls.  It is a shame to waste good seed!