Originally posted 7/24/20
There was an apple orchard not far from where I grew up. Each fall the local grocery stores would carry Dixon apples from the orchard. Some people even drove to the orchard to help pick apples and bring them home. Dixon apples were some of the best tasting apples because the family who ran the orchard loved and cared for each apple tree. It is my goal as a Christian to bear lots of fruit for Jesus. We know his fruit consists of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. (See Galatians 5:22) What ingredients are needed to be an effective, fruit-producing Christian? Let’s take a look at the Parable of The Sower found in Matthew 13 to find out.
If you recall there was once a sower who went out to sow seeds. Some seeds fell on the path and were immediately eaten by the birds, some fell on rocky ground and sprouted but died soon after because they didn’t have roots, some fell among the thorns and were choked out, and some fell on good soil and produced crops of 30, 60, or 100 times what was planted.
Later on in this same chapter Jesus explains what this parable means to his disciples:
“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.””
Matthew 13:19-23 (ESV)
As I was reading the explanation, something stuck out to me. Each person represented in this parable hears about the Kingdom of God. The first guy hears but doesn’t understand what is being said. So Satan comes and snatches away the truth.
The second guy hears the word and receives it with excitement. Since he doesn’t have deep roots, he is easily distracted and is unable to stand firm when he faces hardship.
The third guy hears the word, but he is so focused on making a name for himself and gaining riches that he doesn’t receive the truth.
The fourth guy hears, receives, and understands the word and bears fruit of 30, 60, or 100 times that which was given to him.
What does all this mean? It means if you want to be an effective Christian, you must hear, receive, and understand the truth of the Kingdom of God. How is that possible?
First, you must trust the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth. (See John 16:13). Then you must receive the truth and take it as your own. You need to nurture that truth by being in constant communication with your Father.
When we stop spending time with God, we start to become his children by name only. There is no proof that we really are his children because we start to look like everyone else around us, who are all just fruitless and bare trees walking around dry and parched. It’s kind of like when a man has a baby with a woman but then disappears from the kid’s life. Sure, he is called the father of the child, and rightly so, but he doesn’t have any power to mold and shape that child because he doesn’t even know that child. When we, as God’s children, stop spending time with him, we don’t lose our title of “Child of God,” but we do lose the power to be a witness to those around us who need to hear the truth of the love God has for them. When we are a child of God by name only, it is easy to forget who we truly are, and as a result we start to solve our problems ourselves, using worldly wisdom, instead of trusting the Holy Spirit to direct us into all truth.
Lastly, we need to understand the truth of God so we can share that truth with those who are lost. I can’t count how many times I have had a question about something. When I ask God what the answer is, he tells me, but I must ask him the question first. This is called being in a relationship, not just a religion.
Last week I was on vacation with my family in Colorado. We had gone to this pond for a picnic lunch. When we got home, I sat in a chair and read my book for a while, enjoying my alone time. Soon, the wind started blowing and I got cold, so I went inside and continued to read. Eventually, I was told that dinner was ready at my mother-in-law’s cabin, so I went there and spent the evening with them. When we arrived home that night, I suddenly realized that I didn’t know where my phone was. I didn’t remember taking my phone to my in-laws so I figured it was probably in our cabin. Brett and I searched and searched for my phone to no avail. It was getting late so we decided to just go to bed and resume our search the next morning. As I thought about my afternoon, I suddenly couldn’t remember if I brought my phone home from the pond, It had rained that afternoon, and visions of my poor phone getting soaked by the rain ran through my head. I’m not gonna lie, I was a bit worried about my phone. As I laid down, I asked God where my phone was. Then he brought back to memory everything I did from the time I left the pond until the moment I put my phone in the cup holder as I sat down to read my book. I jumped out of bed and ran outside and joyfully grabbed my phone. I thanked God for telling me where my phone was and peacefully slept the night away.
You see, when I was trying to find my phone without God, I failed. The moment I stopped ignoring God and asked him where it was, is the moment I could recall where I put it. You may think that this is a silly example, and why would you bother God with such a minor problem? Here’s the thing, nothing we face is too small for our God. We see problems as big and small, but to God all problems are small. If you are a parent, then you know this truth. Remember when you had a baby who was trying to learn how to walk? You were there to help them when they fell and encourage them to keep going. When they finally took those first few steps unassisted, you rejoiced with them at their amazing accomplishment. Do you get excited when you stand up and walk to another room? Probably not, but that doesn’t make the excitement of your child taking their first steps any less exciting. I think God is the same way with us. Sure, he knew exactly where my phone was all along. He could see it with his own eyes. When I finally involved him with my struggle, and found my prize, he rejoiced with me because he loves me and loves to give me good gifts.
If you desire to be like the tree that produces a crop of 30, 60, 100, or even more, then you need to hear the truth, understand what is being said, and receive the truth. You do this by talking to God and asking questions. Then you listen to what the Holy Spirit tells you, and ask more questions. Read your Bible and ask the Holy Spirit more questions. Be a child of God because you have a relationship with him, not just because that is now your title.
I encourage you to think of a question and ask the Holy Spirit. Then sit quietly and listen for the answer. Many times the answer will be a thought. This is your answer. I have learned to ask a question and then trust that the thought I think is the Holy Spirit answering me. I know that if I ask my Heavenly Father a question, he is eager to answer me because he loves to communicate with me. You can even compare your answer to scripture. If your answer aligns with scripture, you can be certain this is your answer because God will never ever tell you to do something opposite of what he says to do in the Bible. Go out there and be fruitful dear sister!
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