Chapter 5: Good Soil Bears Fruit

“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”

--Matthew 13: 3b-9

“The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”

--Mark 4: 14-20

When my daughter, Marci, was ten, she went to Camp Carol Joy Holling near Ashland, Nebraska with her confirmation group from church. The camp was a couple of hours away and since the small group of youth needed a ride, I volunteered to take them that Sunday morning after church.

Upon arrival, we parked the car and unloaded. Shortly after, a theatre troupe began a short skit to entice the campers, so they would want to stay. As I remember it, the young people and we sponsors were headed down the dirt paths that led to the cabins in the woods...

To read the rest of this chapter, you will now need to buy my book, Simple Faith, Mighty Faith, published by Cornhusker Press and released 7-3-2011. Go to my website, http://www.JerriHaussler.com for ordering details. Thank you!

* * *

Thoughts to Ponder/Points for Discussion

1. Have your seeds of faith fallen on a hard path, rocky ground, or good, fertile soil? What temptations are you dealing with and what can you do to grow through them?
2. Are you doing some things so you will yield a hundredfold for Jesus? If not, what changes can you make to do so?