Today I was reading Matthew 13. Jesus told the Parable of the Sower. Did I know people whose lives represented the four kinds of soil? I thought of my son-in-law. The seeds of the Gospel probably have been planted in the past but never took root because he didn't understand. He's like Nicodemus, the literalist. When Nicodemus heard, "You must be bon again," he asked, "Can a man enter his mother's womb a second time to be born?"
The seeds that fell on rocky soil are perhaps like my granddaughter's life. She received the seeds of the good news of Jesus with joy, but there was not enough soil or encouragement for them to take root so they died out.
The seeds planted among thorns represent like my daughter's life. She, too, received the gospel with joy and relief, but the cares of life and the deceitfulness of riches choked them out.
Only the Holy Spirit can prepare the soil so that when the seeds of the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are planted, they will take root and bear fruit - a hundred fold. I can pray for Christian influences and friends to come into the lives of my family, but what they really need is for the Holy Spirit to prepare the soil of their hearts.
Merciful God, You always do what is right, and so I trust You with my family.
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