Good Ground
Behold, the sower went out to sow...but others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Matthew 13:3,8
We have discussed the topic of sowing and reaping quite a bit this month because it’s the bedrock of tapping into God’s provision. In this verse, however, the sower is the one giving the Word of God, and you are the ground in which it is sown.
The Word is sown into our lives in many ways. The primary ways we hear the Word are through our pastors, reading the Bible, and listening to other preachers and teachers of the gospel. We live in such a privileged time and place to receive the Word at all hours of the day. We have Christian programming on the radio, TV, podcasts, and other platforms.
In fact, we really don’t have any excuse for not living abundant lives full of His grace and power. But too many of us don’t take advantage of all that is available. We let the business of our lives choke out the Word or, on the flip side, the convenience of having everything handed to us can lull us into being spiritually lazy.
People in other countries would give anything to have the type of freedom we have. They would do anything to be able to go to church and read their Bible openly, yet they are persecuted for doing so. What a travesty when we have a church on every corner and Bibles readily available yet fail to partake in the greatest gift to receive.
In His mercy and compassion, God will always care for us, but there is so much more when we prepare our hearts to receive all that He has. I believe the openness of our hearts and trust in Him determines how much we yield a good crop.
Make the decision to be good ground to sow into. Go to church regularly, read your Bible daily, listen to Christian music and television programming. Get serious about hearing and doing the Word of God and watch the goodness of God revealed in your life.
Dear Lord, forgive me for not giving my time and attention to hearing the Word as I should. Thank you for those who teach and preach the gospel – who sow the Word into my life. May I be good ground and produce a harvest of blessing. Amen.