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Most of the sermons I’ve heard on the parable of The Sower & The Seeds (Matthew 13:1-23) has been about understanding why some of the seeds we sow take root and grow while others do not.

But it’s about so much more than that. It’s also an instruction to us to tend the soil of our own hearts so that the seeds planted by others and by God can take root and grow.

I’m not much of a farmer…when I plant things I tend to let nature handle it from there. But what results is usually a very nice patch of weeds. I get frustrated at the constant need to weed, water, loosen soil, fertilize, etc. The truth is that I just don’t enjoy the process of gardening, although I love the results of good gardening.

Unfortunately, things are much the same in our heart. We can’t just whip it into shape by weeding out the bad stuff and planting good stuff, then letting it grow unattended. Because the bad stuff happens to us every day and much of that stuff wants to take root in the soil of our heart. Each day we must do the hard work of weeding out bitterness, hatred, lust, bad attitudes, and so much more (see Galatians 5:19-21) – that’s tending the soil well. And the result will be the beatiful fruit of the spirit – you know what those are – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22).

 Seeds will be planted in our lives – by us, by others, and by God Himself. They can only grow if the soil is well prepared and well maintained.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 19th, 2009 at 9:08 am and is filed under Christian Living, God's ways, Reading through the Bible in a Year, Spiritual Maturity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.