“A farmer went out to sow his seed...and some fell in the gravel; it sprouted, but withered because it didn’t have good roots...(Luke 8:5 Message Version).”
Lessons in farming cont…
Some of the seeds the farmer sowed fell in the gravel. They actually sprouted only to wither
away without good roots to keep them in the ground. Jesus explains that, “The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn’t go very deep. It’s only another fad, and the moment there’s trouble it’s gone.”
Interesting, people, very interesting. Right off the bat I am reminded of a story I once heard.
A young wife and mother was struggling in her marriage. She and her husband were united in almost everything, but she was a church-goer, and he was not. It became a really difficult topic between them, and she was very discouraged. She wanted her husband to come to church with her and the kids, but he was not interested. Then one Sunday she came home from church super excited about the sermon she had just heard based on this passage: “Some husbands may not obey God's word. They are indifferent to any words about God. Their wives could win these men for Christ by the way they live without saying anything. Their husbands will be captivated by their life of holy beauty. What matters is the wife’s inner disposition (1 Peter 3:1-2).”
The game plan sounded easy enough: Don’t preach, don’t nag, don’t pester. Rather, cultivate inner beauty. The thought of captivating her husband and winning him to Christ by focusing on herself was appealing to her as well as encouraging.
But then reality set in. That very same afternoon, hubby made a comment that if she hadn’t gone to church, they could have set out earlier to a football game. And now there was so much traffic…
The words that she responded with can not be shown here, but honestly, I am inclined to give this girl a break. Nevertheless, he knew how to push her buttons, and she, at the first sign of trouble, lost all her enthusiasm for taking the high road and keeping her mouth shut.
What went wrong? It sounds so judgmental to say that her heart was gravelly and that’s why the seed had trouble taking root. Truth is, we all have gravelly hearts sometimes. We know what God says in His Word, we know what we should do, we have every intention of doing it — of loving, forgiving, serving, giving, praying…but then something happens and we give up. The Bible says we give up because the enthusiasm doesn’t go deep enough. The way to get enthusiastic and stay enthusiastic about God is to connect with Him daily. It is by communicating with God via prayer that we grow strong, deep roots -- roots that are deeply embedded in supernatural faith, the kind that is enough to survive setbacks and disappointments.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for not being mad at us. You accept us even when we are less than enthusiastic that You are our Father and that all Your power, glory, and protection is available to us. When we do have those moments when the seed withers away, You are right there reminding us to shovel that gravel away and make way for new seeds. Thank You! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
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