Soiled
Well, there has been some talk around this joint about soil.
Neil Cole's book entitled, "The Organic Church" has a discussion dealing with the parable of the soils found in Luke 8. The book makes the case to primarily invest in good soil. In other words - invest your life, energy, focus, and God's message in the lives of people who are hungry for these things. Often the good soil are those who truly need God and a friend. People going through crisis, people who are in need, people who are abused, poor, struggling, and broken are often good soil.
Jesus speaks of four types of soil (disciples) that receive the Word of God:
1. Path - seed falls on it and it is trampled and eaten by birds.
2. Rock - seed falls, produces some life, but whithers because it has no moisture.
3. Thorns - seed falls, produces some life, but choked by the plants among it.
4. Good soil - seed falls, produces abundant life - a hundred times more than was sown.
Then Jesus says, "He who has ears to hear (obey), let him hear (obey).
Jesus seems to be touching on a similar theme that the Jewish Sages also taught on...
In Abot 5:12 it speaks of four types of disciples:
1. Quick to grasp, quick to forget - he loses what he gains.
2. Slow to grasp, slow to forget - what he loses he gains.
3. Quick to grasp, slow to forget - a sage
4. slow to grasp, quick to forget - a bad lot indeed.
Or another way to look at four types of disciples would be through images:
1. A funnel - take in and quick to forget
2. A smonge - soaks up everything without discrimination
3. A sifter - takes in and retains the good and discards the unimportant
4. A strainer - lets out the good and keeps the things that don't matter (miss the bigger picture)
In the parable of the soils Jesus is talking about disciples and calling for commitment and obeying and living the Word of God. The reality is, that, not everyone is open to making this kind of commitment, even though they may believe and nod along.
Am I good soil? Am I a sage? Am I sifter?
I am challenged to give priority to encourage and disciple those who are good soil, sages and sifters.
But, I often chase people down who seem to be avoiding or uninterested... So I do more and more for them. So this is a challenge for me.
I guess it comes down whether or not we as disciples are humble, broken and recognizing that apart from Christ we can do nothing. (John 15:5)
I have soiled myself. :)
sd
Neil Cole's book entitled, "The Organic Church" has a discussion dealing with the parable of the soils found in Luke 8. The book makes the case to primarily invest in good soil. In other words - invest your life, energy, focus, and God's message in the lives of people who are hungry for these things. Often the good soil are those who truly need God and a friend. People going through crisis, people who are in need, people who are abused, poor, struggling, and broken are often good soil.
Jesus speaks of four types of soil (disciples) that receive the Word of God:
1. Path - seed falls on it and it is trampled and eaten by birds.
2. Rock - seed falls, produces some life, but whithers because it has no moisture.
3. Thorns - seed falls, produces some life, but choked by the plants among it.
4. Good soil - seed falls, produces abundant life - a hundred times more than was sown.
Then Jesus says, "He who has ears to hear (obey), let him hear (obey).
Jesus seems to be touching on a similar theme that the Jewish Sages also taught on...
In Abot 5:12 it speaks of four types of disciples:
1. Quick to grasp, quick to forget - he loses what he gains.
2. Slow to grasp, slow to forget - what he loses he gains.
3. Quick to grasp, slow to forget - a sage
4. slow to grasp, quick to forget - a bad lot indeed.
Or another way to look at four types of disciples would be through images:
1. A funnel - take in and quick to forget
2. A smonge - soaks up everything without discrimination
3. A sifter - takes in and retains the good and discards the unimportant
4. A strainer - lets out the good and keeps the things that don't matter (miss the bigger picture)
In the parable of the soils Jesus is talking about disciples and calling for commitment and obeying and living the Word of God. The reality is, that, not everyone is open to making this kind of commitment, even though they may believe and nod along.
Am I good soil? Am I a sage? Am I sifter?
I am challenged to give priority to encourage and disciple those who are good soil, sages and sifters.
But, I often chase people down who seem to be avoiding or uninterested... So I do more and more for them. So this is a challenge for me.
I guess it comes down whether or not we as disciples are humble, broken and recognizing that apart from Christ we can do nothing. (John 15:5)
I have soiled myself. :)
sd
Comments
[man pulls out shotgun]
... and a new pair of pants."
-Ace Ventura
I'm okay with either the Star of the Morning or being Idle for an Hour. Too bad it's not a bowling alley anymore, darn fire.
But seriously folks. I can do breakfast almost any day as long as it's relatively early. I just can't go for it on March 9. That's my only stipulation. Let me know.
I must be a rock, or maybe by now I am the beaten path.
That's the problem I guess.(Time)Although if we live long enough, time may well be the solution.
We all start out as good soil, but then a few thorns find their way in and suck up all the food of imagination. (Santa isn't real you know)The wind and elements erode the soil making it dry and hard like rock. (peer preasure, teasing, etc...) Then man comes along trampling all over, and over, and over until a well worn lifeless path is left behind. (work your fingers to the bone what you get? Boney fingers!)
Sad really... :(
But hey! All is not lost. I like to live my life by this little code: (and please excuse my French.)
"Don't let the bastards get you down" :)
The "wonder" of life and the willingness to be a learner seems to get eroded away as we try to protect our selves and experience bad stuff.
bow wow and no worries about the french - i just didn't know that you could speak it. :) Good motto... Is that from a song?
Every Gen-Con I went to (when it was in Milwaukee) would end with us going across the street from the convention center to Major Goolsby's. We would have a blast there and talk about all the geeks and strange things we had seen that day. I bought a hat the first year and on the back of every hat there were the words... "Illegitimi non carborundum." Which translates to "Don't let the bastards get you down"
Well you did ask... ;-)