by Beth Messman
So then,
just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,
rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and
overflowing with thankfulness (Colossians 2:6-7).
A farmer has acres of fields to plant. Farmers
have equipment to help with the planting. A tractor saves farmers time and labor.
There are special tools to pull behind the tractor, like the grain drill and
the planter. Before a farmer plants the seeds, he must first remove large rocks
from the fields. There is no special equipment for this job. The farmer uses his
hands to pick up the heavy rocks, and tosses them onto a wagon. Picking rocks
is a long and hot chore. The farmer knows that rocks in his fields could cause
his equipment to break and prevent seeds from falling into good soil.
The Sower by Van Gogh |
Farmers in Jesus’ day didn’t have tractors. A
farmer would walk up and down the fields with a sack of seeds on his arm and
toss the seeds onto the ground. Sometimes the seeds fell on dirt paths and were
trampled by people or picked up by hungry birds. Seeds that fell on rocks didn’t last long, because
their roots couldn’t
get down to good soil. When seeds did land on good ground, they started to
grow. But, sometimes weeds crowded them out. Farmers in Jesus’ day were glad when
their seeds made it into the good soil and grew strong and sturdy shoots.
Jesus told a story about a farmer
planting his seeds (cf. Matthew 13). This kind of story is called a parable. In
a parable, Jesus tells an earthly story in order to explain a heavenly meaning.
Some people who heard the parable about the farmer planting his seeds did not
understand what it meant. Jesus told the meaning so that we would understand
how our hearts can be.
Some people hear God’s Word but reject it.
They are like the seeds that fell on worn paths, gobbled up by hungry birds.
Those seeds had no time to put down any roots. People who don’t take any time for
God miss out on hearing about their Savior, Jesus.
Other people hear God’s Word and believe
his promises, for a while. When life goes well for them, they see the blessings
God gives them. But when life gets hard and the walk of faith seems too
difficult, they fall away from God. They are like the seeds that fell on rocks.
Those seeds sent out roots, which took in nourishment, but only for a little
time, because the roots could not reach the good soil below the rocks. Even
people who have been baptized, who have received the gift of faith through the
Holy Spirit, can lose their faith if they don’t continue to take in the nourishment of God’s Word.
Some people hear God’s Word, believe that
Jesus is their Savior from sin, and grow in their faith. But, when problems
creep into their hearts, threatening to choke out their faith, they forget
about Jesus. They forget that he is the answer to all of their worries and
troubles and start to search for their own solutions. Those people are like the
seeds that fell among the weeds in the fields. The weeds crowded out the good
plants, not letting them get the nourishment, water, and sunlight they needed
to grow strong.
There are also some people who cling to
the promises they’ve
learned from God’s
Word. They know that temptations, doubts, fears, worries, troubles, and all
kinds of sins will surround them. These “weeds” threaten to choke out the hope they have in
their Savior. So, these believers study God’s Word even more. Because of God’s amazing love, these
people grow strong in their faith. They are like the seeds that fell on good
ground, pushing their roots deep into the soil to receive all of the benefits
of the nutrients and water.
Roots anchor plants to the ground. They
keep the plant from getting pulled out by strong winds, or pushed away by swift
moving rainwater. Roots store food for
the plant to use when it can’t get sunshine or water. And when the time comes
to pick the crops, those roots can also provide nourishment for people and
animals.
Just like the plants in Jesus’ parable, we will
always have troubles and temptations in our lives. When we are anchored in God’s Word, Jesus holds
us up, nourishes our faith with his promises, and provides opportunities for us
to “feed” others when we share
the promises found in God’s Word.
Jesus knows farming. And Jesus knows us.
He wants us to be deeply rooted in God’s Word. Jesus wants us to thrive. Jesus wants us
to continue to live our lives in him, rooted and built up in him.
Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for
nourishing us through your Word. Keep us rooted in your promises. Help us to
grow stronger in our faith. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Beth wrote this
devotion in connection with a course on
Devotional Writing offered through MLC Continuing Education.
Devotional Writing offered through MLC Continuing Education.
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