More on Making “Good Soil”—Matt. 13:8; Mark 4:8; Luke 8:8

Two other principles are illustrated by the process of improving the soil in my garden, as described in a previous post.

Enrichment Must Come From God

The first is that the soil could not improve without help from beyond itself. It wouldn’t have gotten much better, and in fact would have become worn-out, without the amendments added over the years.

The same is true of us. We can only become more fruitful if God “amends” us by adding the things that we need, but do not ourselves possess. Sure, some of us are blessed (by God) with native talent that allows us to produce impressive results on our own for a season, but we can’t sustain that without God’s active blessing. Instead we, like soil, will inevitably become more depleted and less productive without the Holy Spirit’s infusions.

We Must Act on What God Gives Us

The second is that enrichment could not happen if the original soil did not affirmatively act on the amendments. New organic materials must be broken down into the particular nutrients plants need before they enrich the soil they are added to. That only happens if microbes already in that soil go to work digesting those amendments. Without that the amendments do not become part of the soil; they do no good.

The same dynamic is present in our interactions with God. Although we can’t become truly fruitful without His spiritual “amendments,” those amendments can’t do any good unless we act on them by digesting them, incorporating them into our day to day lives. Otherwise, they are only abstract principles with no practical impact.

(Other images about God’s ability to provide things we need, but can’t provide for ourselves, were posted at Images from God on September 12a and 18c, October 3, November 10, 21 and 27, 2004 and January 2, 10b, and 10c, June 13 and 27, 2005.

Other images about diligence/perseverance in doing God’s will were posted at Images from God on October 1, 3a, 8, and 17 and November 7, 2004 and January 10c, June 11, 13, and 18; July 15 and August 27, 2005.)