Thorny, Weedy, Distractions!

Mike Hosey, An Elder

Jesus tells the story of how a sower throws some seeds along a path (Matthew 13:1-23). In the story, some of the seeds fall along the beaten path and are picked up and eaten by birds. Some of the seeds fall on rocky ground which has only a thin layer of soil.  Those seeds sprout, but because they have no root, they die quickly in the heat of the sun. Some of the seeds fall among thorns or weeds, and are choked out by them, and so never reach maturity or bear fruit.  But some of the seed falls on good, nutrient rich, soft soil. Those seeds sprout, develop roots, grow to maturity, and produce much fruit.

Although this story is primarily about the gospel, its main point is as much about the soil as it is those gospel seeds.  In fact, you’ll notice that every time the seeds fall on soft soil, they produce some kind of plant. When they fall on the hard soil of the beaten path, they’re snatched away before they can take root, so they don’t mature, and so produce nothing. But when they fall on the thin soil that covers rocky ground, they produce a plant. And when they fall on the thorny, weedy soil they also produce a plant.  If there is soft soil, the gospel produces something. But for the gospel to produce maturity, fruit, and ultimately salvation it must fall on good soil.

This principle is true of everything that God tries to plant in us. Even after we are saved, it takes good soil for God’s words to produce God’s fruit -- and He expects us to produce fruit (Matthew 7:19, John 15:2)!   For instance, consider the weedy, thorny soil.  Those weeds and briars can be thought of as worldly distractions (Matthew 13:22). God tries to plant a seed in you for ministry, or growth, or kingdom work, and because you are distracted by pleasures, worries, worldly anxieties, social status, ungodly desires, greed, or a whole host of uncountable other things, that word never matures, and never produces fruit.

So how do we get that good soil? First, we must allow God to break up all those rocks and make them into soil. Then we must let Him till up that beaten path and soften it.  After that, we must allow Him to fertilize that soil with nutrients from His word.  And finally, we have to keep worldly weeds out of that soil because they will always compete with God’s seeds for the nutrients that make things grow!