Luke 8
8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
The heart of man can be compared to the soil of a land, and the piece of land to is like a fertile garden that has to be tended every day.
For many people that’s where the problem lies. The Bible says we must bring forth fruit with patience. We must tend to it every day.
A beautiful garden doesn’t come by itself. You cannot just pray but you must work too.
Ask any good farmer, he puts everything into it, whether he doesn’t feel well or feel tired.
Spiritually too we must be disciplined. We must do what is right even if we don’t feel like it.
Maybe that’s why you’re spiritually in the state you’re in. You should be much further, but you didn’t grow because you don’t work at it.
Do you think God would bless you if you just sit around, only work on your heart’s soil when you feel like it? He will bless you if you work with a willing heart.
Before you plant you prepare the soil. If you want good soil you send the soil to a soil specialist, so that he can tell you what is lacking in the soil and you can prepare your soil for the plants.
We Christians have men and women of God to give us advice, to tell us what the soil of our heart should be like to bear good fruit. Do we make use of the experts God has provided? Maybe you simply carry on in your own way and that’s why your life looks like it does.
If you want to have a fruitful life for God, prepare your heart.
The story is told of a certain farmer who had a farm on a plateau, overlooking his neighbours farm. His young son enjoyed going to the side of the farm where the cliffs were and rolling down rocks and boulders from the top onto a field of land of their neighbour. He did this for years. When this boy was grown, he married the daughter of the neighbouring farmer, on whose land he rolled those stones. He inherited that farm and it cost him a lot of sweat and hard work to clear that piece of land from the rocks which he as a boy used to roll down in fun.
It’s so easy to do wrong, tell a lie, or cover something up; but it’s much more difficult to make it right again afterwards. Rather think of the future and do what’s right now.
It’s so easy to roll those stones but one day you’re going to work on that field and you’ll sweat to remove those stones.
The most favourable fertile soil is a child’s heart. How do you raise your child? Do you take your child’s side in the wrong that it does? In doing that you’re hardening the heart of your child.
God’s Word without the Spirit is dead. Too much water kills plants because the plants doesn’t get oxygen, air.
Spiritually that oxygen is the Holy Spirit. You could kill yourself and your children with God’s Word because you do not allow God’s Spirit to work and give life. But as you allow God’s Spirit to work in your life and your family it brings life.
Maybe you as a parent has anger in your life. So as you teach your child the ways of God you also teach your child that spirit of anger. That spirit of anger will also end up in your child.
Soil specialists can tell one the type of soil by looking at the type of weed that grows in the soil. So too spiritually God has given us people with spiritual insight in the church who can tell you and help you with what’s wrong in your heart by identifying the weeds that grows in your heart. So they can give you advice and help you to thoroughly prepare your heart for God’s Word and Spirit to work.
Often the fertile ground is found in the valleys. If you humble yourself and accept your responsibilities then that could be the beginning of God’s garden in your life and your strength as a Christian.