In Francis Chan’s book, Crazy Love, he warns us not to assume we are the good soil. What does that mean exactly? It is pretty clear in Mark Chapter 4 of the Bible. For a long time I assumed that I was the good soil. I did everything a Christian was supposed to. I went to church more often than the average person, I gave money to the church, I read my bible occasionally, and considered myself a true prayer warrior. At least I had that down. Prayer. But that is not what God calls us to do. Prayer alone will not get you to Heaven. What are the things you should do? It’s pretty simple. Check out this sermon by Pastor Mike Fabarez. It may make you stop and think. Then head over to my Fruit Audit and audit yourself. God bless and I pray that you are the good soil!
“The Good Seeds”
Mark 4:2-20 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that
“they may indeed see but not perceive,
and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they should turn and be forgiven.”
And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
Photography by Jen O’Sullivan
Blessing God Series
Rain from the Lord
Grass in the Field
Parable of the Pearl
Rocks Cry Out
Flourish
Joy in the Thorns
Perfection
Fruit
Everything
Integrity
Hiding Place
Wonderfully Made
Busy Bee
Dread
The Sad Crown
Patience
Two by TwoThe Good Soil
Holy. Just. Love. 