in luke 8, Jesus tells the famous parable of the sower. and it is a very true, and telling parable. we usually wax eloquent about it when we have sermons or lessons on evangelism, and we speak of the hearts of those who do not yet believe.

we talk about whether their hearts are prepared to receive the Gospel, and what happens when the world sends worry, or when hard times come. we talk about the birds that come and eat the seed, and how we should sow seed no matter what, everywhere we go…and those are very good thoughts.

but what we must also realize is that gardening is a process. there are seasons that the earth goes through, and there are practices that must take place so that growth can continue. you do not till a garden once, and leave it alone. you do not work the soil to plant seed for each harvest just one time. it would be ridiculous to assume that it never needed to be done again. the soil must be worked, and tilled, and weeded over and over and over again. gardening is a process. we must dig our hearts up, turn them over, daily.

we don’t just need to be ready once for Jesus to enter our lives, and then never again. we don’t have the right soil conditions one time, and that covers us forever. we must continually work the earth, checking to see that it is fertile, and productive.

the consequences are that we either wind up with a hard, dead heart or one that is soft, and life producing.

there is no real decision to make here. it is obvious that we want the heart that receives the Gospel message, and multiplies the harvest. we want the heart that is ready for the Spirit to work, and for Jesus Christ to be glorified. we want the heart that honors the Father in each and every motive, down to their roots. but it takes time and effort, and it means confronting ourselves. acknowledging our own failures (i had several in the last few days) and working with God, Hand in hand,  so that He can lead us past them, and into a place where growth and life and abundance (do not read this as financial wealth) takes place.