Growing a bumper crop of faith, joy

Jesus understood people love a good story — that an insightful story will stay with us. He often taught in parables — simple stories that reveal a life lesson or truth. One of His parables tells of the sower and the seed.

When the sower went out to sow, some seed fell along the road and the birds came and ate it all.

Other seed fell on rocky ground and sprouted quickly in the shallow soil, but without a deep root, it withered away in the hot sun.

Still other seed fell among the thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and there was no crop. But some seeds fell into good soil and produced a crop of thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.

His followers asked Him to explain this story. It turns out the seed is the word of God. And the soil represents the response of people to it.

Some never care about it. Others are quick to believe, but in a real test have no secure root and fall away.

Then there are ones who hear, but it never really matures in their life because it is snuffed by worries and various personal pursuits.

Lastly, there are those who take hold of the word. It means something to them. They hang onto it and produce fruit.

I’ve been all the responses at one time or another. While I’ve never not cared about God being in my life, there’ve been times I wished I didn’t care. Because then there are no boundaries — just do what I want. And many things are capable of pulling me away from drawing near to a wise God whose plans for me are worth listening to.

Still, when it comes down to it I’m at my best when I’m like the soil with the seed that sinks a deep root and yields good fruit.

In fact, the Bible’s got names for the fruit of God. “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness self-control.”

A bumper crop.