The Soil Samples

Because of an unusual series of events, I ended up leading the Sunday School class yesterday. 

The passage was from Mark 4, the story of the Sower and The Seed. As I studied to prepare, I realized the story is not as much about the soil on which I "sow my seed" as it is about the state of the soil in my heart. 

The picture of the soil in my garden flashed in my mind. I took three canning jars and went to the garden. Black, rich potting soil went in one jar. The dry, rocky dirt from my failed garden went in the second jar. 

In the third jar, I put a layer of the dry, rocky, weed-laden soil, and covered it with a layer of potting soil, because my heart is seldom completely fertile soil. I wish it always were, but I'm not all God desires me to be. Yet.

If we're honest, we all have a mixture of heart-soil that probably fluctuates from one time to another. Sometimes we have rocky heart-soil, sometimes weed-laden soil, sometimes rich, fertile soil. Most of the time, we have a mixture.

As I carried my soil samples back to the house, I considered the actual soil samples I'd collected and sent to the Extension Service a few days earlier. In a week or so, I'll receive a report that tells me what to add to the soil to enrich it. If I want rich, fertile soil, I'll have to do something to the ground to have it.

In that same way, we can have rich, fertile heart-soil if we are willing to make the changes needed to have it.  We can have optimum receptivity to the word of God. If we want it. 

Just as I'll add lime and fertilizer, potash and other enrichments, to my actual garden, so we need to add those things that make our hearts more receptive to God. The best place to begin is with the Word of God, which is the Sword of the Spirit. That flashing Sword can cut through the rockiest of soil, pulverizing the stony places in our heart. 

It aerates and loosens the clods, reveals the weeds (cares of this world and the busy-ness of our lives), and helps us to remove those things choking out the growth God desires.

Repentance and humility are essential, but the Word of God is where we start.

We passed around the soil samples yesterday, and I was impressed all over again about the importance of tending the soil, in our literal gardens and in the garden of our hearts. I want fertile soil, in both gardens, not because I prefer rich soil, but because rich soil is the best way to produce a harvest. 

God isn't looking for rich soil to serve as fallow ground. He wants rich soil to produce a harvest. The better the soil, the bigger the harvest.

As it turns out, I have some work to do. In both my literal and my heart gardens. Maybe you do, too.

Take a look at the soil samples above. Which one best represents your heart? Is it the kind of soil you meant to have? If not, what "enhancements" are needed to change it?

"And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundred fold." Mark 4:20 nasb

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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Wheelchair Hike

#soil #goodsoil #soilsamples #harvest #disciple #Jesus

Dealing with an unclean spirit, part 6: For and against

He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters. (Luke 11:23 NASB)

For he who is not against us is for us. (Mark 9:40 NASB)

I gained an insight this morning into a question that has long plagued me. Why doesn't the church behave like the church? It shocks me when people tell me that they are content to be "members" without becoming "servants", planning to "make it into heaven" because their name is on a church roll. This misconception is heartbreaking to me because Jesus did not call us to membership, but to relationship. 

If I choose not to have a relationship with Christ in this world, why do I expect to have an eternal relationship with him in the next?

The verse from Mark 9 may be part of the confusion. There are more than enough jihadi's, eagerly opposing the cause of Christ. Most of us, however, do not actively oppose Christ. We could say, like in Mark 9:40, that we are "not against" Him. If we consider ourselves "not against" Him, we may mistakenly think that we are, therefore, for Him. 

Even a cursory examination of the passage, however, will reveal our misconceptions. The disciples had asked Jesus about someone who was casting out demons in the name of Jesus. "We tried to stop Him because he was not following us," they told Jesus. They didn't try to stop the man because of his lack of faith, but because he wasn't in their group. "He wasn't following us." (Not because he wasn't following Jesus.) 

The Master told them that the one who wasn't against Him was for Him, but this only applied to the person who was working in the name of Jesus, because of his faith in our Lord, but was not a part of the inner circle. It was a little like our denominational squabbles. It was foolish. With which group he ate his meals and traveled was not the important part of this man's service. Whether his faith was in Christ was what mattered. The man was clearly serving Jesus.

The passage in Luke reminds us of the verse in Mark 9, but there is a definite difference. "He who does not gather with me, scatters." This could have been a word about the church today. If we are not "gathering" the harvest, serving Christ, we are scattering the harvest. To put it simply, when we say we follow Christ but do nothing to help gather in the harvest of lost souls, do nothing to serve Him as He called us to serve, we are "scattering". 

This principle is why we see such an uproar against "those Christians" and why Christians are considered narrow-minded bigots by many today. If the world only sees us speaking and acting in judgment and condemnation, rather than as servants of Christ, it is no wonder that they are repelled. We become nothing more than "scatterers".

If, then, we are "scattering", we are not FOR Christ. Instead, we are AGAINST Christ, and that is a terrible place to be. I learned the words to a hymn as a child and they still resonate today. 

"I am satisfied with Jesus, but the question comes to me as I think of Calvary, 

'Is my Master satisfied with me?'" 

If we choose not to have a relationship with Christ in this world, we cannot expect to have a relationship with Him in the next. Let us consider our lives and our service today. Are we harvesting or scattering? Are we staking our eternal destiny on membership or relationship? Christ came that we might have life, and have it abundantly, and that life begins with relationship to Him.

Sending the Seventy

Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. And He was saying to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. (Luke 10:1-2 NASB)

Just as Jesus sent the disciples out in ministry pairs, now we see Him sending seventy other followers. They were to go to all the cities and places where Jesus was headed and preach and heal. Just imagine it! Two followers would go into a village and share the good news of Jesus. "The Messiah has come!" they would tell the people. They probably offered to pray for the sick, knowing that God already planned to heal them. Of course, people would be excited about the healing and the pair of disciples would say, "You think this is good? You haven't seen anything yet! Jesus is coming soon!"

These people were sent to prepare the way and introduce Jesus. Jesus described it as a harvest that was plentiful. He explained that there are many people who will come to Him if they hear the good news about Him, but they can't believe if they don't hear. Jesus understood how hard it is to leave home and go to a foreign place where everyone is a stranger. He understood because He left the best place of all to come to a world that would reject and kill Him. 

There is a big harvest of souls available, Jesus explained, but not enough workers to get the harvest in. More workers are urgently needed. ALL of us are responsible for bringing in the harvest. Every single follower of Christ is responsible for the harvest. It is shameful to leave a harvest of grain in the field. It is even worse to leave a harvest of souls not gathered. 

We fall into one of two areas of responsibility about the harvest. Either we are the one who goes into the field to get the harvest in or we are the one who prays for more workers. We do not have the option to disregard the harvest. A quick "Bless the missionaries" prayer is not what our Lord had in mind here. The one who stays and prays is to approach the harvest with all the fervor and commitment of the one who goes to the field. That's a strong statement, isn't it? Read what Jesus said once more. There are two jobs. Going and praying. Both are vital. Both must be done with enthusiasm, committment, and perseverance.  

There is a harvest of souls waiting to hear the good news of Jesus and God's love. It's our job, mine and yours, to make sure they hear. Are you called to go or to pray? Let's be sure we are doing our part to bring light and hope to a dark and lonely world that will perish without the grace and mercy of God. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/12/staying-close-to-herd.htmlhttp://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/12/staying-close-to-herd.html

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The new book, The Waiting: When the Answer to Your Prayer is Delayed and Your Hope is Gone, as well as The Clay Papers and The Road to Bethlehem (an advent devotional guide) are now available at http://www.leannahollis.com/online-store/ Get your copy today.  

Special Seed (Luke 8:5,11)

"The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up.

"Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God...(Luke 8:5 NASB)

As Jesus began to explain His parable to the crowd of disciples, He made it clear from the start that the seed was the Word of God. The seed was not the myriad of regulations of the Pharisees, the commentaries of scholars, or the studies written by noted teachers of the time. The seed was not the word of popular speakers or preachers. The seed was not the Word of God plus anything. The seed was simply, completely, totally, and only the Word of God. 

When we understand that one principle, we take a great step in discipleship. No one can write words that replace His Word. No one. (not even this prolific blogger) There is a very important place for a cogent, coherent explanation of Scripture. Well-written exegesis can expand our understanding in amazing ways, but it is still only the Word of God that is the seed. 

"Why is this so important?" you may ask. That's a good question.  Especially in today's culture, where compelling voices compete for our attention, there is a tendency to listen to the loudest or most entertaining voice. Although there is nothing wrong with listening to those voices, at the end of our listening, it is only the Word of God that matters. Does what we hear line up with what God has said? That is the plumb line that must be used. 

There is one very important characteristic of seed that is vital to this understanding. You can't have a harvest without it. There is no way to produce a harvest of any kind without a "real" seed. In the life of a believer, there is no harvest without the work of the Word of God in our lives. Scripture describes the Word of God as a lamp to our feet, and a light to our way (Psalm 119:105). If we allow it to have a harvest in us, not only will we bear fruit that lasts, but we will be able to clearly see the next step on our path. We will have clear direction! In these tumultuous times, knowing the right steps with certainty is invaluable. 

Are you allowing the Word of God to be like a seed planted in your heart? Today, read the words I've written and use them as a magnifying glass to help you see the Word, the Word of God, with clarity. Meditate on that good seed found in the Scripture and allow it to take root in your life. There's no other way to have a harvest. 

Today, pray that we and our loved ones will allow the seed of the Word of God (and that only) to be planted in the fertile soil of our hearts. 

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Link to last night's excellent guest post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/06/friday-night-with-friends-self-control.html

Day 16: Harvest Styles (Luke 5:37)

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. (Luke 5:37 NASB) 

When the grapes are ripened, they must be gathered in order for them to become wine. Left in the field, they will either rot or dry up. You might end up with raisins, but you won't get wine that way. Harvesting is essential and not optional. 

There are all kinds of harvesting styles. Some people want to pick as many grapes as possible, as quickly as possible, and pile their gathering basket as high as possible. There is the benefit of gathering many grapes, but the risk of crushing the tender grapes under the weight of the pile. Remember, the grapes will be crushed, but the field is not the place for the crushing. It is essential to protect those young "fresh-picked" grapes so that they can become the rich wine that the vineyard owner planned. 

Some harvest workers only want to pick certain grapes. I overheard a church member talking to a person in another denomination. "Are you still feeding those homeless people?" To the affirmative reply, she answered, "Good, because we don't want them at our church!"  It broke my heart. I thought Jesus wanted homeless people there with us, too! In fact, I'm pretty sure He does!

What we need to understand as the body of Christ is that we are called to be laborers in the harvest. We are called to gather ALL the harvest, not just those who are most to our liking. As laborers, we are to respond with the love of Christ to every person He brings into our life and we are to protect and nurture them so that they can become the mature believer Christ intends. 

Pray today that we can see our loved ones and their friends through the eyes of Christ. Pray that we will respond with the love of Christ in such a way that both our loved ones and those in their circle of influence will be drawn to Him.