Good morning! It’s Wednesday, November 22, 2022 – the middle of our “thankful week.” Tomorrow, we celebrate Thanksgiving, but let’s see if we can make gratitude a habit beyond just one day. Imagine waking up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday. Today, I am grateful for the Holy Spirit, even when He has to run His plow through my heart. Are you too? Read on…
Today's Reading:
Matthew 11,12,13
Scripture
“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 plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no 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. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 13:4-9)
Observation
Although this is often known as the parable of the sower and the seed, it should be known as the parable of the plow. Strange as it may seem, all four fields are actually made from the same dirt. Picture a plot of ground amongst other plots.
Application
The first condition of the soil was the path. Every farmer’s plot was adjacent to their neighbor’s. To access their fields, they would walk along commonly held boundaries bordering each field. Over time, due to constant foot traffic, the soil would become compacted. It was never plowed nor fertilized.
Have you ever allowed something with great potential to become commonplace? What about a ministry, a family, or a friend? When the precious becomes common, it is soon replaced.
The second condition was the “rocky places” or the shallow soil where the plow didn’t cut deeply enough to break up the shale or hard ground just below the surface. The blades skidded across the top of the shallow surface, producing only temporary results, and the plant soon died.
The third condition was covered with “thorns.” These areas were most likely the corners of the field where the plow couldn’t reach. Weeds were left to grow unchecked, and they overtook what was scattered in the corners.
Remember, all the soils were actually from the same plot of ground with one major difference — the soil that produced a harvest was the only area fully yielded to the plow.
That’s the fourth condition. This area was called the good soil.
Prayer
Father, I am realizing that the greatest amount of fruit produced was not determined by how gifted the soil was but by how yielded to the plow it was. All conditions received seed, but not all produced quality fruit. May my heart always be yielded to the Plow of the Holy Spirit.
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