Rocky Soil

Long time readers would recall that we have just recently built our new house. There are a myriad of jobs that new to be done during the construction period.

The latest project that I am involved in is creating a vegetable garden. I have had “Veggie” gardens in all the houses we lived in so I am looking forward to harvesting produce from this one. The last garden I worked on was all sand. This new one is quite a different proposition. I am having to deal with very rocky soil. There is a lot of heavy digging and raking, a lot of rocks to remove before I can get down to the fun part of planting the veggies.

As I was digging over the soil my mind strayed (as it often does) to the Parable of the Sower (Matt 13:3-9). In the parable Jesus talks about a sower sowing seed in a field. The seed falls on 4 different types of soils. Some fell on the hard pathway, some fell on ground filled with weed seeds, some fell on some rocky soil and some fell on good soil. The Lord explains that only the seed that fell on the good soil produced a crop, the others either failed to germinate or withered.

Of course the Lord wasn’t just teaching on agricultural techniques, he explained that the seed was the word of God and the soils were different types of hearts that received the word (Matt 13:18-23).

Getting back to my Veggie patch. I know that nothing much will grow unless I go through all that hard work and dig the rocks out. If I work it hard, digging and raking and removing the rocks, I will end up with good soil and, Lord willing, I will grow a good crop of Veggies.

Hearts like the rocky soil hinder the word of God, and soon it withers and dies. Read Jesus’ explanation,

“The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.” Matt. 13:20-21

We need to make sure that we get rid of the “rocks” in our own heart. We need to make sure that we allow the word of God to grow deep and strong in our hearts. Now, it might be hard work, it will take effort, but it’s worth it. Our reward will be eternal.

I'll let you know how things go with the veggie patch, let me know how things are going in your heart.