This Is My Story – 1
God’s Work In My Life
Jesus told stories. He told stories all the time while he was here. He used them to teach his friends about what it was like to be one of his followers. I read a book by a pastor named Lloyd Ogilvie many years ago. In the book he encouraged the reader to look for God in the story. He also wanted us to look for ourselves in these stories. To look for ourselves in Jesus’ story would reveal who we are and what we can become.
In Matthew 13 Jesus tells a story about a farmer who is planting seeds. Let’s read it and look for God and ourselves. “So listen to the meaning of that story about the farmer. What is the seed that fell by the road? That seed is like the person who hears the message about the kingdom but does not understand it. The Evil One comes and takes away what was planted in that person’s heart. And what is the seed that fell on rocky ground? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching and quickly accepts it with joy. But he does not let the teaching go deep into his life, so he keeps it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching he accepted, he quickly gives up. And what is the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching but lets worries about this life and the temptation of wealth stop that teaching from growing. So the teaching does not produce fruit in that person’s life. But what is the seed that fell on the good ground? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching and understands it. That person grows and produces fruit, sometimes a hundred times more, sometimes sixty times more, and sometimes thirty times more.“ (Matthew 13:18-23 (NCV)
God is Placing Seeds Within Our Hearts
That farmer is at work planting seeds and he represents God in our lives. I have a strong belief that God is constantly at work in our lives. I’m not really sure that he controls every aspect of our lives and we are simply pawns on a chess board. I believe he works in ways we do not see at times. That he plants seeds of faith, love, friendship and grace within our hearts. The weird part for me is that I believe he does it in everyone’s lives, not just those who believe in him. Those seeds land in the hearts of people and they can either take ground and grow or die. We need to figure out just what it will take to get us to quit growing. Things or people happen in our lives that kill those seeds and stop the growth God wants to see in our lives.
Do You Stop Growing When You do Not See What is Next?
Jesus says some seed fails because some people cannot believe in what they cannot see. We want to know what is coming in the next days. It is hard at times to trust what we cannot make happen on our own. When I was a kid in school we planted seeds in Styrofoam cups and waited for them to grow. I remember the day after we planted them I checked my cup. There was nothing happening that I could see. No sprout, no bud and especially no plant poking its head out of the dirt. I looked each day for about a week and then I quit looking every day. I would only go near the cup when we were supposed to water them. Then one day one of my friends got excited because his plant had broken through the surface and I checked my cup and there it was. After weeks of not seeing anything there was a green sprout pushing its way out. I was too young to understand then, but it is a lesson I’ve learned over and over again with faith and God’s work in my life. Even when I don’t see something happening, something is happening. That is why walking with God requires faith, because you don’t always see what He is doing underneath the dirt.
Do You Stop Growing when it Gets Tough to Keep Believing?
Jesus talks about rocky ground and short roots. When we understand that faith is not always easy or the most natural choice we can begin to push our roots deeper into the ground. Plants can grow no higher than their roots can sustain them. We’ve seen it plenty of times when winds come along and blow trees over and we realize that it outgrew the root system. That is why it is important to make sure we put our roots into the right place. We need to join with others that will help us know how to plant those roots and grow at a good pace, not a frenetic pace. Sometimes it is tough to remember that slow growth is the growth we see. Do not be discouraged that you’re not as tall or pretty as the next plant growing. Just be glad you are not shriveled up by the heat of the world.
Do You Stop Growing when Life Distracts You?
Jesus talks about people losing faith when the worries of life come in and choke out their faith. Life can be tough. I truly believe that. I also think that following God does not lessen the burden or worries of life. So why have faith then? Following God and living like Jesus does not solve our problems, but it does help us navigate them in a way that helps us realize that there is growth going on under the surface in my soul. There are so many things that we can get distracted by in the life. If we take our eye off of what we need to become then growth will stop also.
So if these things can keep us from growing in our faith, how do we make sure we keep growing? Glad you asked here are a few thoughts from my grandma Grace’s garden. When I was younger my grandparents had a garden in their backyard in the middle of Lubbock. They grew tomatoes, squash, peppers and some other vegetables that I did not eat. Many times when I would go over to visit they would ask me to go pick tomatoes or pull weeds, water and just check on the garden. I learned a few things about growing vegetables and my spiritual life. Here are a few pointers from what I have learned:
Turn the Ground Over by Making the Bible Part of Your Life
Reading the Bible each day can help you turn over the ground of your heart so that it is ready for God’s work in it. The Bible will find the stones that can get in our way and loosen up the clods that keep roots from growing deep.
Water What God is Doing in Your Life With Prayer
Prayer can give us the nutrients we need if we let it pour out of and into our hearts. Many times we see prayer as a one way conversation with God. Usually we see it as telling him what we need Him to do for us. If we will spend some time just in meditation we might be surprised at what God will tell us.
Pull the Weeds With Confession and Hard Choices
Growing up there were a different kinds of weeds. If you grabbed the one with all the thorns you knew it right away. Man it hurt. That is how it is when we pull the weeds from our lives. We confess when we fall short and it hurts, but if we don’t confess it can choke out the good work God wants to do in our hearts.
Let the Ground Rest and Heal From Some of the Hard Times
There is the time after the harvest that we need to simply rest. Every once in awhile the most spiritual thing we can do is to take a nap. Remember God set up the Sabbath so that we could recover and rest along with the soil, so find your time to take it easy so that you will not burn yourself out.
Harvest When The Crop Is Ready
It is tough to admit when something is done. We need to realize that God will end something so that something new can start. Enjoy where you have been and remember there is a new crop waiting to be planted in your souls.
So which one are you? Can you still grow in spite of all that life throws at you? God will work in your heart and share His love with you as you grow closer to Him.