Day 113 "The condition of the soil will shine bright in all we do."

Day 113 Matthew 13:1-9 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” This very popular and often taught on passage has so much to offer, yet at the time of the sharing, it caused great confusion; after all, the history was unfolding. It had not yet been written; these folks were living it. It is so intriguing to me to see how often Jesus spoke of things that truly would not be comprehended until His resurrection. He was laying a foundation that would run deep and be well designed. Just like a strong concrete foundation, it had a lot of reinforcing in it. You see, when you look at both the smallest and the largest of buildings, all have one thing in common–a foundation. Those with a strong, deep, reinforced, and well-planned foundation are, of course, those that remain true and straight. They are, in fact, a good testimony to those who designed them. However, those foundations without reinforcing, depth, and good planning are unable to support the weight of the building above them; they, too, have a testimony and are a sign as to the planning of those who constructed them. There is an even larger determining factor for the strength of all buildings and that is the soil they are built upon. You see, no matter how well you plan your foundation, if the soil is bad, unstable, or shifting, the building will be likewise. The condition of the soil is what actually determines the stability of the building! Also, the condition of the soil is what determines the quality of the crop produced by a garden. A seed planted in soil of a poor state produces a crop in the same state. Another notable fact is that the evidence of the soil condition is there for all to see. It cannot be hidden for long; sooner or later it becomes evident to all, no matter what you're producing, building, or attempting to complete, whether or not great care has gone into it. A few years ago, I was counseling with some folks involved in a ministry that had deep issues of unrest, and as we prayed and looked into things, we found deep foundational issues that had never been resolved. As I prayed for these folks, the Lord gave me a picture in my mind of a large brick wall. This wall was a representation of the ministry; it was cracked and leaning almost to the point of falling; however, it was built on good soil. It was then that He showed me the only way to restore the ministry. Each brick, which represented the people involved and affected by this ministry since its inception, was to be removed from the wall, cleaned, and placed back in the wall once the foundation had been rebuilt. Yes, this was a monumental task and, yes, the only way that ministry would survive was by doing so. And, no, I don't ever want to be in a similar position, and I would assume neither do you. Plan well, and take the time it needs to do it right, for if you don't, you'll be allowed to clean up the mess sooner or later. Daily Prayer: Father, help us to plan well when involved in ministry or the temporal things in life. Help us, Lord, to avoid cleaning up the messes of poor decision making by taking the time to make wise choices. In Jesus’ name we pray these things. Amen. "The condition of the soil will shine bright in all we do." Pastor Gene Burroughs