We have hope in the seeds we eagerly and expectantly plant in the garden each spring. We trust in the name, quality, and potential of those seeds. Still, it remains our responsibility to prepare the soil and lay the seed in the earth properly, in order for the seed to produce food or flowers for our needs and enjoyment. All of this effort is hopeless if the soil is not good or we neglect to enable the growth of the plants by letting weeds prosper and choke out the life now growing from the seed.
The soil of our hearts must be soft and mellow to the touch of God in the faith He gives us. We must not allow the temptations of our own selfishness and the lure of the world to choke out the growth that comes from following God’s Word. We must take in the nourishment He brings to our lives from the direction and correction that comes through His Holy Spirit. Our roots must grow deep into His love so that we can love as Christ loves us. We must allow Him to prune us at times so we can give witness to the life that is in us. We will then prosper in Him.
Dear Father in Heaven,
Thank you for planting the seed of faith in my heart. Soften me to your ways that I might grow stronger in you. Cast aside any hardness in my heart, that I might take on the nourishment of faith that comes from Your Word and Your Spirit. Dear Jesus, prune away any selfishness and pride and strengthen me to remove any weeds of sin that would encroach upon my life. Let the roots of my faith always seek the deepness of Your heart. May I prosper by Your Blessing to produce fruit pleasing to You, giving witness to the life I have in You! In Your Name, Dear Jesus. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown” (Matthew 13:23 NIV).
Scripture Readings … Psalm 1 & Matthew 13
