3“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.” (Mark 4:3-8)
I gotta admit for a while earlier on in my walk, I’ve assumed that I was on a good soil. After all, I took the initial seed and actually said those few lines of salvation prayer, right? The more I read this and the more I am convinced that it applies to my whole life, not just the initial stage. This verse isn’t just about hearing the good news. This is everything to do about the whole walk, the entire sanctification process, and long into the last stretches of the race.
The thorns of life. Ah. The sins, the distractions, the world, the busyness, the stuff etc. Somehow, we become more tolerant to these things. Oh yes, gay marriages are bad, but seeking comfort is OK!
Pulpit becomes weak. Leaders become soft. Rather than leading people where they need to go, they began catering to what the people wants to hear. Who are they try to please anyway? The P&L of the church, or the congregation, or is it God?
Just how bad is the outcome. Just how bad is the worst case scenario? Well, there really isn’t a best or worst scenario. No fruit? Gets thrown into the fire. Period. Full stop. Having outwardly appearance of a healthy tree doesn’t make it fruitful. The fig tree was a perfect example. It had the look of a Christian doing all the Christian-stuff, but when Jesus reached out to pluck out the fruit, Nada.
The frustrating part isn’t that some people are faking it, but some sincerely think they are following the way because that’s how they’ve been taught. So, is the responsibility entirely on the church? Not so. We have the Spirit in us, working through us, we have everything we need to live a successful (don’t assume the wordly definition of this word) calling and will of God. But do we know that? Do we look forward to spending time with God? Do we even read His Words? Do we have the desire to want to know more about this God, that we supposedly asked Him to be the Lord of our life?
Do I dare to assume again that I am on a good soil? Last I checked, I was everything but the good soil.
Filed under: Christianity, Rambling
