What is Your Spiritual Soil?

     

     “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”  Matthew 13:23

     Of all of Jesus’s teachings, His parable of the sower could not be more straightforward and words that need to be taken to heart.  Sadly, it is sorely ignored.  Society, in general, has stopped caring about what their spiritual soil is, stopping at the “Well, I believe in God, so I am a Christian” line.  Saying it and living by it are two totally different things.  It’s not enough if we don’t choose to live by God’s word, and I don’t mean just the parts that individuals choose to agree with.  We need to live by all of it.
     Let’s look back at the types of spiritual soils that Jesus speaks about in this parable (Matthew 13, Mark 4, Luke 8).  First, you have the seeds falling on the path only to be picked clean by the birds.  Hearing and believing the word and yet Satan, in the form of people around us, takes it away, showing desires instead.  At this point, Jesus’s teaching is totally ignored.  All that the person cares about are worldly desires and pleasures.  They worry about sounding “judgmental” when they are just following God’s rulebook.  They worry more about offending their friends, not caring that they are offending God in the process.  The word of God takes a dangerous second place.
     Second, there is the rocky terrain…and a very popular situation.  The word is read and received, even practiced.  However, it is short lived.  People revert back to their old, unwise habits.  After that, the word withers away from the heart and dies.  Being all gung-ho at the beginning, only to take a noncommitting standpoint, won’t win any popularity points in the divine realm.  God asks for our commitment.  He expects it, if we choose to follow Him and want to enter the kingdom. 
     Next, the seed that falls among the thorns.  People allow the worries of the world to overcome.  If they aren’t worried about financial situations, then they worry about their jobs.  If not the jobs, then they worry about family.  If not family, they are worried about fitting in with society.  Some of this leads to stress, others just lead to lack of making God a priority.  The older I get, I realize that life works a lot better when I stop trying to take control over my life, rather than allowing God to control it.  I think a majority of us can say the same thing. 
     Finally, you have the good soil.  The word is read and received.  It is not cast aside over time.  A Christian understands the need for ongoing study.  The thirst for knowledge and wisdom that the bible gives us.  A holy hunger to feed our spirits, which need constant sustenance.  To make a commitment for life.  At the point that we stumble, we pick ourselves up and try that much harder. 
     So, what is the solution?  Will our good soil get thorns now and then?  Sure, so we clear them away, immediately.  Will our soil have birds that try to steal the seed?  They will try.  It is up to us to drive the birds away, that want to divert our attention away from God’s word.  What about the rocks?  Toss those away.  Anything that will not allow God’s word to grow strong, deep roots, need to be cleared away.  It can be done.  For those around us, trying to influence us away from reading the message in the bible, why not try to influence them WITH the word?  If they mean that much to you, shouldn’t their soul be even more important?
     What spiritual soil are you living in right now?  If it’s not the good soil, what are you going to do to improve it?
     Think about it.