Abundant Crops

Abundant Crops

Other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Matthew 13:8

We get lots of weeds in Florida. I think I have seen every kind invading my yard at one time or another. I’m told that the best way to keep weeds out of our yards isn’t to focus on eliminating the weeds, but rather to keep the grass thick and lush; strong grass chokes out the weeds and keeps them from gaining a foothold. In yards full of weeds, there are probably also thin, poor patches of grass.

Remember the parable of the farmer and the seeds in Matthew 13? As the farmer scattered the seeds across the field, they landed in several places. Some seeds fell on the path and were gobbled up by birds; some seeds fell on shallow, rocky soil, and the shoots, because of their shallow roots, withered in the hot sun; other seeds were choked out by nasty weeds. But thankfully, some seeds fell on fertile soil, grew beautifully, and produced an abundant crop.

We put “seeds” into our lives every day. Whether it’s our thought lives, the friends we associate with, or the things we allow to influence us, all of these things can either make us stronger or weaken us. The more good things and good people, the more positive influences we associate with in all areas of our lives, the more likely those things will choke out the bad—that’s just how it works. The more we spend time with good influencers and think on things that are good and pure, as the apostle Paul suggests in Philippians 4:8, the better the chance the weeds of temptation and evil will not gain a foothold in our thoughts and lives.

Sometimes it’s just a single weed. One weak spot opens itself up to a weed and leads to an uncontrollable amount. But it doesn’t happen overnight. Make sure your relationships aren’t encouraging weeds to crop up in your mind, your attitude, or in the things you do. Surround yourself with positive influences, and be a positive influence for others.

Uncommon Key > If you spend a lot of time keeping your yard weed-free, do the same for your life. It’s much more important. Add good, positive, and godly influences, attitudes, habits, and associations to your life to grow strong roots in Him.