illustration: the parable of today

i really enjoy a good illustration. both preaching them and hearing them. the illustration helps me to be able to connect the message and the application. sometimes people have a hard time understanding exactly how to connect the two. but with the story comes the understanding of how, what and why it has to do with their life.

Jesus was one of the best story tellers, then and now. he had a way to be able to connect to the people in ways people were able to comprehend and apply it to their lives. the last couple days i have been looking at the parable of the sower. this is about a farmer who spreads his seed on 4 different surfaces.

1. pathway- hard place, where birds were able to eat the seed while others trampled on them.
2. rock- while a good place to use as a foundation. not a good place to place upon. there is no place to be able to collect moisture and not soil for nutrients the plant needs to grow.
3. thorns-while able to grow a certain amount. it has limitations and will eventually harm the plant.
4. good soil- this is obviously the choice of where he should have planted all his seed. it would have paid off in the long run.

obviously one of these were able to produce a great crop. while the other three were not. while Jesus loves to tell these stories he also shares with us how the story can be interpreted. if he did not then we might have been left with more confusion and misunderstanding of what could be a great story.

Jesus explains that the seed is the Word of God. The Farmer and The Word is of utmost importance in this story. The Farmer is the providor of the Word. If it were not for him than the crops would never had a chance to grow. The Word is the provider of growth. Without growth there would never be a crop to be harvested. The different types of surfaces and soil show the difference in human.

the path shows one who is willing to hear but is also a bit hard to penetrate through the surface. because of this birds are able to eat the seed and is trampled on by other people and animals. this surface does not bring growth because the hardness of the surface. this makes the seed able to be destroyed. application is this: do not let yourself or your heart to be hardened. be open to the things of God and what he has for you. let the Word penetrate the surface of your heart to not only the knowledge of what God's word says but also letting it effect your life and your relationship with God.

the rock shows one who does not have much depth. with this lack of depth it is also hard to grow a crop. the rock is not able to collect moisture so even if something does grow then is hard because of the lack of nutrients. this allows one to grow for a short time but does not allow maturity. it has no place to keep its roots and to become big and strong. application is this: when once a little bit of something would be enough to help you grow as a christian their is not enough rooting you to continue a relationship with Christ. this might be because of a lack of discipleship. it shows a lak of commitment and desire to grow.

the thorns display that there are many obstacles that could be a distraction or hindrance to growing a plant. the application is this. when one focuses on an obstacle in front of them they are more concerned with the object than getting rid of the object. this can be worries, blessings, money, lack of money. something that will distract your mind from where it needs to be. when taking care of a garden it is important to take out the weeds and thorns in order to help the plants to be healthy.

when one takes care of the soil, you not only get a good soil. you get a good crop. the good soil is important so the farmer can grow food to provide for his family. this can be applied to living a healthy christian life with healthy beliefs. if we take care of our spiritual lives then we will yield a harvest bigger than what the seed could have ever done on its on.

healhy soil is important. if you are the soil then how do you get to be healthy. work and effort are a must. if not then any field can be grown over in a short amount of time. starting with the weeds and then eventually bigger hindrances like bushes and thorns. the interesting thing is it is your choice to take care of the ground.