Lent Day Twenty Six
“Enriching The Soil of Our Hearts ”
Matthew 13:3–9 The Passion Translation
3 “Consider this: There was a farmer who went out to sow seed.
4 As he cast his seed, some fell along the beaten path and the birds came and ate it.
5 Other seed fell onto gravel that had no topsoil. The seeds quickly shot up,
6 but when the days grew hot the sprouts were scorched and withered, because they had insufficient roots.
7 Other seeds fell among the thorns and weeds, so when the seeds sprouted, so did the weeds, crowding out the good plants.
8 But other seeds fell on good rich soil that kept producing a good harvest. Some yielded thirty, some sixty, and some even one hundred times as much as he planted!
9 If you’re able to understand this—then you need to respond!”
I enjoy growing vegetables. Every autumn I dig homemade compost into the plot, then clear it of weeds the following spring before sowing seed; seed that I carefully sow, one by one into prepared drills or holes, laid out in neat rows. Consequently, the image of God scattering hands full of seeds this way and that, letting them fall haphazardly onto all kinds of ground, is in stark contrast to my own precise methods. But God longs to inspire spiritual growth into every part of life, not just the parts we’ve prepared or are willing to offer him. So, during this Lenten period, let’s open our hearts to the Parable of the Sower to help us draw closer to him.
To begin, imagine ‘the beaten path’ where ‘the birds came and ate’ the seed. Have we in any way become hardened to the seed of God’s commands or his will and purpose? Where and how might we resist his desire for spiritual growth and maturity?
Second, consider the shallow ‘gravel that had no topsoil’. Are we feeding our head belief in God without nurturing our relationship with him? Do we need to deepen our ‘roots’ to trust God more fully; trust that strengthens a resilient faith response to problems instead of our being ‘withered’ by their scorching ‘heat’?
Third, reflect on any ‘thorns and weeds’ crowding out spiritual growth. Are we convicted of any unhelpful choices or ungodly habits that undermine, choke or smother the potential for God’s life within to grow in fuller measure?
It is through prayer, responding to God’s Word and choosing his ways in our everyday lives, that we draw closer to God. So, do be encouraged to talk with him about whatever this parable has brought to mind. Hold these thoughts in the light of God’s love and desire to nurture a greater harvest of ‘fruit’ in and through you. How are you inspired to respond?
Finally, let God encourage you with the fruit already growing from his seed that fell on ‘good rich soil’. I trust that will further inspire your response. And remember, although doing what God says (v. 9) can sound like the harsh demands of an authoritarian leader, it is God’s invitation for us to be blessed as we create the right environment for his life within to grow and mature.
Anne Le Tissier
Anne offers life-application bible teaching through books, bible-study notes, articles, blogs, and by speaking at Christian conferences, Sunday services, Church Away Weekends, and more. She has written seven books, her latest being 'Dwell', and writes regularly for the global ministry of Our Daily Bread, among other publications.
Although she was born and brought up in Guernsey, Anne now lives in Worcestershire. To relax she enjoys reading, growing her own veg, hill walking, chatting to her chickens, and preparing special meals to relax over with friends.