Today's study was on Matthew 13:5, when Jesus said a phrase, “Not much earth". He was teaching a parable about different soils and their ability to “grow” or “‘not grow” things. "Shallow ground" brought these synonyms to my mind:
Superficial= concerned with the surface or obvious
Inconsequential= Proceeding without a natural or logical sequence; haphazard
Inconsequential= Proceeding without a natural or logical sequence; haphazard
Do these words describe me when I don’t want to spend time in God’s Word? Am I satisfied with mediocrity and wanting things to just "come my way" without determination and work? Do I want to live by my own intuition rather than His TRUE knowledge? Do I have to “decide to be convicted” or do we “become” convicted after our decisions take us to very bad places? His Word straight forwardly points out those choosing NOT TO SEEK God’s true plan of life:
Psalms 10:4
T he wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
Psalms 119:55
Psalms 119:55
Salvation is far from the wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes.
In my garden there is much soil… to keep it healthy and fruitful, I have to decide to stir it up …so, I have to stir up my conscience through studying God’s word…getting His input on right and wrong. I could continue justifying my “sinning” because of timing, laziness, pride…and the list goes on. But, weeds don’t ever just go away on their own, do they!? “Pulling out”, “poisoning”, and "pruning” are never fun activities but they keep the weeds from “overtaking” my garden.
Envisioning my flower bed with lots of color and a large variety of flowers (or blessings) is what gets me through the “rough”. His Word replenishing my “soul soil” and his giving me His deeper truths/profound secrets make my life so much more colorful and fruitful. Now I see Jesus’ point in making it into a “soul soil” story. And his Word confirms the sweetness of my spending time with him throughout my day:
Envisioning my flower bed with lots of color and a large variety of flowers (or blessings) is what gets me through the “rough”. His Word replenishing my “soul soil” and his giving me His deeper truths/profound secrets make my life so much more colorful and fruitful. Now I see Jesus’ point in making it into a “soul soil” story. And his Word confirms the sweetness of my spending time with him throughout my day:
Psalm 63:1
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Eccles. 1:13
Eccles. 1:13
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven
Proverbs 18:15
Proverbs 18:15
The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.
Lord, Only You will save me from a “shallow” life.
