Good Soil Produces Good Fruit

Talking with a friend recently two scriptures I have spent time pondering individually in the past went together in a way I had never seen before that moment; Matthew 13:18-23, the Parable of the Sower, and Galatians 5:22-23, the Fruit of the Spirit.

As I have pondered the Sower and the Soils, I have struggled with defining who the four soils represent; the “hard path” where the seed can’t penetrate, the “rocky soil” producing shallow roots, the “weeds” stealing the nutrition and keeping the seed from growing and the “good soil” ready to produce fruit. Are these four categories of different types of people or are they four categories that all believers can fall into? The Sower scatters the seed (His truth) onto all categories of soil. However, scripture says God’s truth is foolish to man. Unless God has “opened the ears” of someone, they cannot respond to the message the way the two middle soils did, receiving it joyfully. Therefore, it seems more likely these four soils are in every Christians’ life. The areas of our life that we have totally surrendered to God are the “good soil”. Areas where our faith is weak are the “rocky soil with shallow roots”. Areas where we let the trappings of the enemy or the effect this world has on our fleshly desires rule and become the “choking weeds”. Areas that we are self-focused and refuse to give to God are the “hard paths”.

I have also struggled with the list of Christ-like attributes in the Galatian passage. No matter how hard I tried, I could not always be that person. Then one day it popped out at me. It is the Fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of Tom’s efforts. I cannot possible have those characteristics all day, every day. The only possible way to produce this fruit is to surrender to the Holy Spirit and let Him produce His fruit in me, in my “good soil”.

After thinking through those passages, I considered what it takes to grow healthy fruit? The obvious answer is soil, rain and sunshine. However, unless the soil is “good” soil, you will not get a very good crop, if you get anything at all. We bought “gardener’s best” soil for our garden one year. The results were amazing. The same is true in every area of our life; good soil produces good fruit.

As the Gardener (God) scatters His seed (His Word) across our life, what type of soil does it fall on? Are there areas of our life where we won’t let the seed in (the hard path) and Satan snatches the life-giving seed away? Are there areas of our life that have very shallow roots (little faith) and soon we wither under the enemy’s attack? Are there areas in our life filled with worry and fear (not faith) and the peace Jesus offers us is missing, so we do not produce good fruit?

Turning back to scripture, the best example I can think of is Abraham. He certainly had unconditional faith. He gathered his family and left his home when God called him and he set out on a journey to unknown places. He also willingly took his son to be sacrificed as God requested when God had told him he would be the father of many nations. He followed God’s directions when they didn’t make sense from a human perspective.

However, this same man panicked when there was a famine in his land and took his family to Egypt where he knew there was food, not having the faith that God would care for him and his family where he was. While in Egypt, to protect himself, he gave Sarah to the Pharaoh, with no concern for her happiness or well-being. Not the type of thing a man with great faith would do. Isn’t it more like “the concerns of the world” created “poor soil”? Similar “poor soil” happened with David, Peter and others when they block the “seed” of God’s wisdom.

When God’s people turn their attention to themselves, their “soil” cannot produce good fruit. When we are self-righteous (I am a better Christian than him), or self-centered (all our thoughts on what I want), or full of self-pity (what is happening to me is not fair) or other “self” scenarios, we cannot be the type of “soil” the Gardener can use to produce His desired crop.

It seems to me we are called to create the “good soil” in our life through surrendering our whole self with unconditional faith in our Father, studying His Word and a prayer life that is seeking His will, not ours. With this “soil” in place, the Holy Spirit can produce the Fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We cannot produce that fruit ourselves. We can only be willing to be “good soil” ready to be used by the Gardener.