Good Soil

I love driving through the countryside this time of year. Seeing the crops pop out of Iowa's rich black soil is delightful. I grew up on a farm and my father instilled in me the love of our soil. He was a soil conservationist for many years and helped farmers create waterways in their fields to prevent erosion. He introduced farmers to terracing, a new idea in the 1960s for protecting the soil on hillsides. Jesus also talks about soil and managing crops but He related it to spreading the Word of God to others.

"Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly,, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up the plant were scorched, and they withered because they had not root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil where it produced a crop -- a hundred sixty or thirty times what was sown, He who has ears, let him hear,"" (Matthew 13:3-8 NIV). 

Jesus taught that not all our seed will fall on good soil, those who truly hear the Word and understands. Some people won't be ready to hear, while others have the Holy Spirit to help them understand the message you give. Jesus explains the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:18-23.

If you have the chance to go for a drive through the countryside this spring, do. The beauty of the corn and beans growing may inspire you to share your faith with someone else who needs it. May you be provided the opportunity to share the Word of God with someone this week.