TAKING ROOT

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 stone 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. –Dave Branon

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 planed takes root. –Hess

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A heart open to God is soil in which

The seed of His Word can flourish.

INSIGHT

The gospel of Matthew places great emphasis on the teaching ministry of Jesus.  One of Jesus’ preferred methods of teaching was to use parables.  Chapter 13 contains parables on the kingdom.  There, Jesus explained why He taught this way (vv.10-17).  In this chapter, He taught a total of eight stories that describe what the “kingdom of heaven is like”:  the sower or soils (vv.1-9, 18-23), the wheat and weeds (vv.24-30, 36-43), the mustard seed (vv.31-32), the leaven (v.33), the hidden treasure (v.44), the pearl of great price (vv.45-46), the fishing net (vv.47-50), and the householder (v.52).

Have a blessed day and weekend.

God Our Creator’s Love Always.

Unity & Peace