Every seed is full of potential. Left unopened in its package it is worthless. Planted into the soil of life, its potential becomes reality. So it is with the seeds of Gods Word.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.  And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,  but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.  Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.  Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:1-9)

This parable is spoken to those who had come to hear God’s Word. They wanted His wisdom and to know how following him could benefit their lives. But instead of giving them a self help sermon or handing out door prizes to thank them for coming, He gives them a life lesson in authentic, deep rooted faith. God, our sower, sends out the seeds of His word that are full of life giving truth to those who will allow them to be cultivated into the soil of their lives. The problem therein lies with not the seed, but the soil of our soul. As we are journeying on this path of life, God’s Word is falling all around us. Seeds of opportunity are put in front of us and because we are not interested in taking the time to let them cultivate and understand their truths, the enemy comes along and snatches them away.

The next group is described as having rocky soil. As I dug a little deeper to discover what this soil is actually like, I began to understand more the response of this type of soil. Rocky soil requires long term attention because rocks are problematic. Not just because they make working the soil challenging, but also because rocky soil tends to have fewer nutrients than other soils and holds water poorly. It’s not that this soil can’t receive a seed, but more that it is a challenge to maintain the seeds growth, so that it ever produces anything. So it is with this soil of the life that is able to receive the seed with joy, but can’t handle the difficult tending required to grow its faith. The rocky storms of life, and the difficulty and attention it requires to maneuver through them, are not what they signed up for. Because of that, it never takes root and falls away to the easy, comfortable way of its own path.

As for the seed that is sown among the thorns, this ground becomes useless. The seeds are never able to take root because there are too many thorn branches that invade the space. I think of thorns that were brought forth as a consequence in the garden from our sins. Those sins, which are centered on the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, choke the fruitfulness of God’s word right out of our life. It reveals a hard heart that can not surrender to God’s Word because it loves the world too much. Jeremiah himself prophesied about this in Jeremiah 4:3 when he said: Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns. He was fully aware that sowing seeds in soil that the sower has not de-thorned, chokes the life out of the seed and doesn’t allow the water to penetrate but rather traps the water, so no growth ever occurs.

But the good soil, has readied itself for the sower, by breaking up its fallow ground in brokenness, repentance and the readiness to receive the seeds that it needs. Once the seeds fall among this fertile soil, they receive not only the light that is needed to break open the seeds, but the water that springs it forth to life. This is the life that produces an abundant harvest for its sower.

Start today by allowing His words to be planted in the soil of your soul. Only then can each seeds life be released to bring forth all of its potential in yours.