It is interesting that the parable of the sower is in three of the gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke. As I was praying and thinking about what to blog today the Lord gave me this. We as Christians have different types of soil in our lives. The sower is the same the Holy Spirit. He spreads the seeds of self revelation of where our true motives are at so that we can know God better and be more like Jesus. Just like the parable though sometimes it takes and yields a harvest and sometimes depending on our heart condition it bears little or no fruit. Then the Holy Spirit becomes the plower preparing the places of our hearts that are not ready for this revelation to be ready for seed. God uses many things to plow us because I think God cares more about us knowing Him than we think. I believe that the word is the barometer of how well we are walking with Christ. The moment we are no longer being changed is the moment we are becoming a fallow field. Maturity must come to the church and it will only come as we face these hard places in our lives. We can no longer be monolithic in our thinking. We cannot say that I have this ONE great revelation and so I have the right to speak into all areas. I am profitable in ONE area so I have achieved all that is necessary. Then we start to compare ourselves to others and get a air of superiority over them. A little aside I am tired of people misusing the word judging. Judging is done in pride comparing one mans work to another s and feeling it is superior. Knowing someone by their personal fruit because their fruit shows us the attitude of their heart is really different. If someone is talking about others than they are a gossiper, this is not a judgment of them it is a fact that they gossip so they are a gossiper. By their fruit we will know them. Just like I am a sinner because I sin, it is not a judgment it is a fact. I am FAT because I do not exercise or take care of my body, so someone that says Rusty is fat is not judging me they are saying out loud what they see, FAT. Now I am not condoning going around telling people their fruit because the law of love says to pray for them and protect them by not exposing their faults. the Holy Spirit can do that just fine and sometimes He chooses to use us. But we as a culture need to quit playing games with each other and realize that by their fruit you will know them. So what is your personal fruit what is the real condition of your heart soil. What words are coming from your mouth (Facebook) that is a powerful barometer of your heart. I am attacking the hard soil of my heart because I do not want to have any hardness I want a revelation of Jesus that transforms me. Therefore pride, laziness, hurtful speech, anger, control, luster, temple defiler, and bully have to go from my harvest field more and more so that the good fruit can come in Love, peace, joy, kindness, self control, and honriness.
Galatians 5:13-26 back this up.
Life by the Spirit
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.h But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesha;i rather, serve one anotherj humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”b k 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit,l and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.m 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.n They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whateverc you want.o 18 But if you are led by the Spirit,p you are not under the law.q
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality,r impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.s I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.t
22 But the fruitu of the Spirit is love,v joy, peace,w forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.x Against such things there is no law.y 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the fleshz with its passions and desires.a 25 Since we live by the Spirit,b let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited,c provoking and envying each other.
The New International Version. 2011 (Ga 5:13–26). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
So where is your heart today and fruit are you really bearing? If you want to live by the Spirit of God than lets make producing good fruit a priority this year.
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