But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. — Matthew 13:8
It is always interesting to watch someone that has a garden or is a farmer. I have always been fascinated by how they prepare for the year and then put that plan into motion. They work hard, long hours, and in the end, they are rewarded with various crops in most situations. There are a lot of variables at play, but one of the most important is the ground.
In being around some farmers and hometown gardeners, I quickly learned that one of the biggest parts of the preparation was the ground. You can have all the seeds in the world, but if you don’t prepare the ground, it will never grow. You may have the best water source around, but if the ground is not prepared, the seed will still not grow.
The ground must be fertile ground and free of obstruction beneath the surface. It has to be loose ground, to allow the seeds to penetrate beneath the surface and grow. The ground also has to be cleared. If the ground has obstructions on top, the seed will never be able to penetrate either.
We all go through our lives planting various seeds. Sometimes we plant the seeds of lust, sometimes greed, sometimes it’s anger or many other things. Just as much as we can plant these seeds, we can also plant the seeds of God in our lives. We can plant the seeds of God’s word in our hearts, the seeds of good deeds in our actions, and the seeds of a Christian witness in our lives.
The key to it all is how is the ground prepared. Is it prepared to accept the seeds of the things of God, or are we preparing our ground to better receive the seeds of other things? If we allow the obstruction by other things into our lives, the seeds of God will never be able to grow. As you pray and reflect today, ask God to help you prepare your heart for the things of God.
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