Shallow Soil Leads to Superficial Faith

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  The best batches are found when we dig deep into the fruitful places of our heart.

            We’ve talked this week about the wisdom that is packed into the short parable that Jesus told about the “Four Soils”.  We know that when Jesus referred to the hard ground, He was warning against a hard heart.

      Let’s talk for a few moments about the shallow soil…or the “Shallow Soul” as John Ortberg likes to call it.  The parable says that some of the seed fell on rocky soil.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that there was a bunch of rocks piled up there….but perhaps only a thin/shallow layer of topsoil with solid rock underneath.  The seed had life until the sun came out.  But then the plant withered quickly because the soil was too shallow for roots.  How does that apply to our souls?

      Richard Foster said, “Superficiality is the curse of our age.” The desperate need of our soul is really not to have more stuff, more talent or to be more successful by the world’s standards.  What we NEED is spiritual depth. Oh, to be just as passionate as the Psalmist who sincerely wrote: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” (Psalm 42:1) We need a deep, abiding relationship with the Lord.

       Let’s not be shallow and superficial in our faith.  Allow God to prepare your heart & soul with much love & joy in the Lord. 

The Soul of Your Faith

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Do you think there is a connection between the condition of our heart and having joy in the Lord?  You better believe there is!

            In his book Soul Keeping, John Ortberg says in the Parable of the Four Soils found in three of the gospels, he likes to think of the “soil” as the “soul”.

• If we want the seeds…such as JOY…. to grow in our souls, we must prepare the soil of our heart. We don’t want to find ourselves with a HARDENED SOUL.  Jesus said that some seeds fell on the path.  The path is where people walk.  It’s hard and dry.  Our hearts can become like that….so hard that even a good seed can’t grow.  What causes a hardened heart?  Sin, unbelief, anger, pride, resentment, bitterness, guilt, envy, jealousy. Underneath the hardness is often fear.  The fear of being rejected. The fear of looking foolish. The fear of being hurt, again!

• But here’s the HOPE…..it only takes a tiny bit of softness in the soil to give the seed a chance! The seed is strong---stronger than you can imagine.  Because it’s planted by the Master Gardener! Just look at any sidewalk….One tiny seed can break through the hard cement if it can find a little room to breathe…..That says to me that a hardened heart, a hardened soul, is not hopeless.  When that seed breaks through, we will find the fruit of JOY!

May the soil of your heart and the soul of your faith overflow with a bumper crop of JOY!

Is the Soil of Your Heart Prepared for Seeds of Joy?

             Have you had your Joy Juice today?  When we prepare the soil in the garden of our heart, God can plant some healthy seeds of joy.

            The Parable of the Four Soils is a powerful illustration that Jesus used to teach about the importance of the condition of our hearts.

• If our hearts are hardened…like the soil in the story Jesus told…then we may hear but not understand the Word because of sin in our life.  Satan can easily pluck the message away, keeping our heart dull and preventing the Word of God from making a difference in our life.
• Our hearts may be like the stony ground mentioned in scripture.  We may profess JOY in hearing the Word, but we don’t let it sink in and change us.  When troubles and difficulties come, our faith disappears.
• Then there is the thorny soil which refers a heart that is so full of the things of this world…riches, pleasures, success by the world’s standards. All of that chokes out the Word and we do not grow spiritually.
• But, don’t lose hope! The last type of soil mentioned in the parable is the good soil.  That person hears, understands and receives God’s Word.  If the soil of our heart is good soil, then we will notice major changes in our life and we will produce good fruit.

May the soil of our heart always be good soil, prepared and ready for God to plant His seeds and produce the fruit of the Spirit.  (Galatians 5:22-23)