JULY 26, 2013
Taking
Root
Read: Matthew
13:1-9
Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they
immediately sprang up. —Matthew
13:5
A
small area of my yard just couldn’t seem to get going. The grass always
seemed
sparse in that spot, no matter how well I watered it.
So
one day I stuck a shovel into this troublesome real estate and discovered
the
problem: Just below the surface was a layer of stones about three inches
deep.
This led me to replace the stones with rich topsoil in which new seeds
could
take root.
Jesus
talked about seed and soils. In a parable in Matthew 13 about what
happens when
the seed of the gospel is sown on various kinds of ground, He
said that seeds
that land on stones and “not much earth” grow quickly but then
die in the sun
(vv.5-6). He was speaking of one who has heard and received the
gospel, but in
whose life the message doesn’t take root. When trouble comes,
this person—who
is not a genuine believer—falls away.
How
grateful we can be for Jesus’ words that conclude this parable: “He who
received seed on the good ground is he who hears the Word and understands
it,
who indeed bears fruit” (v.23). What a reminder of both the privilege and
the
responsibility that accompanies our salvation.
Praise
God for the seed of the gospel and the soil of spiritual growth.
Lord, I would be soil in which You can plant
Your Word with its promise of fruit;
I want to be open to You every day,
So what You have planted takes root. —Hess
A heart open to God is soil in which the seed of His Word can
flourish.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
