Matthew 13:23
"But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."
I must admit that I'm not a very good gardener. Don't get me wrong, I have planted my share of gardens including okra, green beans, squash, cucumber, tomatoes, watermelon, and even corn…all on the side of my house in a subdivision! It was like a farm! But usually I couldn't keep up with the work including weeding, keeping it fertilized and watered in the right amount. I was able to harvest some and even share with the neighbors, but also lost some due to summer heat, weeds and bugs.
In the Gospel of Matthew today, we hear Jesus teach the Parable of the Seed and Soil. Jesus has good seed (his Word). We are the soil. Some of us are on rocky ground, some thorny, some live right on the road. Seed planted on the road will get eaten by birds. Seed on rocks will take off like in the crack of a sidewalk, but can only grow so much. If planted in weeds or thorns, the harvest will get choked and die. But the seed planted in good soil will germinate and grow. As Christians we have to continue to work our hearts like we would the land…water it, fertilize it, till it. Prayer and worship, study, and good works. If we do that, then the seeds we plant in our own hearts will germinate to others which we come in contact. If we don't have a good prayer life, if we don't worship, if we don't study scripture and if we don't do what God calls us to do, then we are out of balance…just like the land.
