Good Dirt

Good Dirt

Bible Blast: Read Matthew 13:1-9

Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop— a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Matthew 13:8 (NIV)

Farming is tricky business. So much depends on things that are out of the farmer’s control. It’s like telling people about Jesus. You can talk about Jesus’ plan for salvation, but it’s up to the people who hear the words to decide if it makes any difference in their lives.

Let’s break down the parable of the sower together. Whenever I ask you a question, stop for a minute and answer it out loud with your mom. The questions will be in bold. As you go, remember that the “seeds” are a symbol of God’s truth and the “soil” is a symbol of people who hear the truth.

Some of the seeds fell along the path. Picture a path in your head. What is the dirt like? It’s packed down and hard so the seeds just rest on top of it. Since the seeds have no camouflage, the birds grab them all for dinner. Have you ever met someone who had a really hard heart? She may hear the truth but doesn’t accept it. The truth just lies there until she forgets about it entirely. It gets snatched away because she doesn’t hold onto it.

Other seeds fell among rocks. Do you find a lot of good, deep soil where there are lots of rocks? No, the seeds in that shallow, rocky soil grew up quickly and got burned by the sun because their roots weren’t deep. I know people who gave their hearts to Jesus and got excited right away, but they never got in the Word and let their “roots” get deep in their relationship with him. When things got hard, their faith wasn’t deep enough to stand up against the pain of their disappointments, and they withered away.

The third kind of seed fell where the plants were choked by thorns. Have you ever been pricked by a thorn or gotten stuck in a briar bush? Ouch! Some plants can’t live beside other plants because one will overpower the other.

But when God’s Word falls onto a tender, willing heart, the fruit it bears is endless.

Girl Gab: What kind of soil do you feel describes your heart right now? Take time to ask God to transform your heart into a soft, nourishing place for his Word to grow.