What prevents a harvest in our lives? Despite Mrs. Pietsch’s best efforts to teach me botany, I have not had much success growing things. Some years ago a designer put trellises in our backyard so that new plants would grow and flourish. And so they did, until Yuri, the evil winter storm destroyed them. Our dogs devoured the ground cover. Imagine my surprise when new plants grew up in one of the trellises. Persimmons! I cannot kill them despite my best efforts. Blackberries volunteered on the other side of the yard.
Jesus told a parable about four types of soils. In three cases, the seeds planted did not produce a harvest. The devil steals some seed before it even takes root. We have seen some start well but fall away because of difficulties. What keeps Jesus’ disciples from maturing and bearing fruit? Life’s worries, riches, and pleasures will stunt our growth. Do you struggle with any of these?
Some seed falls on good soil. People with ready hearts receive the word and retain it. These persevere and produce a crop. What may we learn from this? The seed of the gospel is always good. But not all hearts are equally receptive. God invests us with good seed because he intends for us to bear fruit. He is really good at causing things to grow.
