A Planting

Quote: “You don’t get what you wish for; you get what you work for.”

I read this quote this weekend, and was very taken back by the way it made me feel. It made me think about a Parable that I love, the Parable of the Four Soils.  

Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23

³ Then he (Jesus) told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ He who has ears, let him hear.”

¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. ²² The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

I feel like I could end right here (but I won’t…grin). I think the most important question here is, “which one of the four soils reflects you?” I’ve mentioned before that sometimes I think we just make this all too hard. Maybe it is not that it’s too hard, maybe we just don’t know how to go about it. I think that after we have made the decision to repent from our sins, allow Christ to be Lord and Savior over our life (meaning to be saved) and getting baptized, we should ask ourselves this question. Is our life producing the Fruit of the Spirit?

Ephesians 1:13-14 says, ¹³ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession— to the praise of his glory.

What this means is this, when we are saved our body becomes a temple for the Holy Spirit. That is why it is so important to make good choices and to not live in sin. We aren’t just a shell, but a holy temple to God. We also are to live our lives continually producing the Fruit of the Spirit which is:

Galatians 5:22-25

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
The question I ask myself often is, “Can I look at the last year, month, week or even day and vibrantly see these things?” And “Do others see the Fruit in me?” I can say yes to several and then I get to peace, patience, joy and the big one for me…self-control…those are hard. In our jobs, our families, our serving…anything that we do, we should do it with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If we aren’t producing these things, we should “reflect” and re-evaluate. We could spend all the money in the world on books about freedom and happiness and fail to see that it is all given to us right here. Hebrews 4:12 says, For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

You may think I’m crazy but I challenge you to grab something and list out each of these (example: love, joy etc.). Carry it with you and throughout your day tally up the times where you see the fruit being produced. It’s pretty powerful and really honest.

What this all boils down to for me is this. We cannot out give God and we cannot out sin from His grace. We can however claim our place in His Kingdom (by becoming a Christian) and live completely stiff and stale. This isn’t just a suggestion from God or a “How to” section of His word. It is the will of God for us to live by this. Ephesians 5:15-17 says, ¹⁵Be very careful, then, how you live— not as unwise but as wise,¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

For the sake of making this post too long I ask you to please take the time and read Ephesians (at least chapters 4 & 5, if not the whole thing) so much incredible information in there.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Listen, we are equipped. No matter your situation, your hurts or your life we can do this. My heart hurts daily over this hard and unforgiving life. We are so hurt and confused sometimes that to even think about facing tomorrow can be more than what we can deal with in a day. Our God is HUGE. And He loves BIG. Lay it all out for Him and be willing to produce this beautiful thing He has given us, not just for His benefit but for ours. I know I have put this last scripture on here before but it is one that is so powerful to me, it makes me realize how powerful and glorious He really is.

Psalm 97

¹ The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.

²Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

³ Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.

⁴ His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles.

⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.

⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.