The Bethany Bullet-Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Fell. What an interesting word. Of course there are times when we can anticipate things falling: home prices, interest rates, the Dow, but it all seems out of our control. The word fell seems so accidental and random.

“The sower went out to sow. As he went some of the seed fell on the path…some fell on the rocky place…some fell among the thorns.” It sounds accidental and random doesn’t it. The sower spilled, dropped, and carelessly allowed some of his seed to do that which it was not intended to do: land in less than ideal conditions. That is why it is so incredible to me that Jesus continues the parable by saying, “…and some fell on good soil.”

Can you believe it? The seed that made it to the good soil arrived the same way the seed that landed in undesirable locations did. It fell. The method of distribution was the same. The seed went where it was cast and it was cast where it went. The sower is intentionally indiscriminant. He longs, hopes, and prays for a harvest. He scatters, tosses, and throws the seed wherever he goes.

The reason you have faith in Christ, the reason you listen to the parable, the reason you’re reading the Bethany Bullet is that you are the product of the Lord. You are the result of the lavish, extravagant, “careless” sowing of God. His Word and Spirit fell in the soil of your soul and as a result-faith in Christ and a life for Christ has bloomed.

Too often people want to ask the question, “What kind of soil are you?” following the reading of this parable. The answer is simple. You’re the kind of soil the sower sows in. The more appropriate question is, “What kind of God do you have?” That answer too is apparent. Your God is lavish, extravagant, and one might even say, “careless” in the sharing of His love.

The most incredible thing our God ever put into the ground was Himself. Three days later what bloomed was life for the world. Now, knowing what kind of a God He is and who you are in Him there is another question we might ask of ourselves. When are we most receptive to His Word? When do we need to recognize a lack of receptivity?

Don’t fall into the undesirable location of thinking there is no reason to grow in your understanding of Christ nor your likeness to Christ. If there are ‘plots’ of ground within the soil of your soul that are rather shallow and if the acreage of your heart is full of rocks or thorns ask the Sower to till and work and do what HE does best…lavishly, extravagantly, let His Word of grace, truth, promise, mercy, challenge, power, and change fall on you so that a harvest 30, 60, 100 fold might follow.