Still others fell on good ground and produced a crop that increased 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown. Then He said, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!”     Mark 4:8-9 HCSB

How do we know if we are the seed that has fallen on good ground and taken root in good soil? Well, I’m glad you asked because Jesus tells us in verse 8. Let’s take a look and read that one again.

We have been speaking of the parable of the sower for the last few days. Today we are looking at the seed that fell on good ground. How do we know that it grew and thrived? In verse 8, Jesus said it increased 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.

If you plant a seed in dirt and a week or two later all you have is dirt, something is wrong. We expect that seed to grow but more importantly we expect it to produce. Some seeds produce beautiful flowers. Some produce fruit or vegetables we can consume. Some produce beautiful plants and some even purify the air we breathe. They all have a job to do. But in order to do their job, they must grow and be productive. As Christians, we too must grow and be productive. We also have jobs to do.

We start out like that little seed needing to be planted and watered and nurtured. As baby Christians we need this. As mature Christians, we must be careful to encourage and nurture young Christians to help them grow. Christians grow through Bible study and through constant communication with Jesus through prayer.

As we continue to grow, we become productive. We produce fruit. The Bible speaks of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. The fruit of the Spirit encompasses love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. These are the things we should produce as a Christian. When we produce these things, others will see Christ in us. Our pastor often says we may be the only Bible some will ever read.

But the really great thing about us growing and producing and thriving in Christ is we can produce other Christians. It’s kind of like my peace lilies. You see this is one my favorite flowers. But the peace lily will grow from a tiny little plant to a large, leafed plant which produces these tall, beautiful flowers. One little peace lily will grow into a big peace lily. But it will also produce many other peace lilies. A couple years ago I took one out of my pot only to find that it had produced 14 smaller lilies. I have since had four pots of them that I need to repot, and I am expecting to have about 10-14 plants in each pot. They not only grow, but they produce many more plants like them.

This is exactly what we are supposed to do as Christians. In Matthew 28:19, known as the Great Commission, Jesus told His disciples to go forth and make disciples of all nations. As Christians, we should produce fruit which helps others see Christ in us. It will help others to want the peace and joy we have found in the Lord. Therefore, we will produce other Christians. We are also supposed to go forth and spread the gospel to others.

Maybe you started out in rocky ground, or maybe you were choked by the thorns, but you can be transplanted into good fertile soil if you draw near to God and trust and obey Him. There you can not only grow but thrive and be productive, just as God intended.

Have a great day!