Fertile ground is of vital importance, for only through it can we see a hundred-fold return from any seed planted. Why settle for less than all God’s blessings?

The Sower

The Sower prepares the ground long before any seed is sown. God Himself is the Sower, for He has an eternal plan for every individual. He prepared Abraham’s heart to receive the call to leave His father’s house for the arduous journey to the promised land. He prepared Mary’s heart to receive the Word that the prophets had foretold hundreds of years before.

We were created in the image of God, Genesis 1:17, designed to fellowship the Creator. Adam knew the fulness of that fellowship until he sinned, Genesis 3. We cannot comprehend the depth of his loss when he was cast out of the Garden of Eden and that fellowship was broken.

That relationship was not bridged again until Christ died and rose again, overcoming death and the grave. He paid the atonement for sin for the wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23.

The Seed

The seed is the Word of God, Luke 8:11 and the soil is the condition of the heart of those who hear the Word of God. There are four types of soil, four being the biblical number of material completeness, the world and God’s authority.

The Sower knows how each person will react to the Word before that person is even born, Jeremiah 1:5, and He knows the end result, Isaiah 46:10. He knew what Abraham would become, long before Abraham was born. God knew how Mary would react to His will. God knows what kind of soil you will end up, for it’s not about the journey, but the end destination.

The Sower tends and cares for the plant as it grows. There not only needs to be fertile ground, but planting a seed introduces a natural growth cycle. He desires us to mature into the stature of the fullness of Christ, Ephesians 4:13. This can only be achieved through being willing to yield our free will to the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Types of Soil Mark 4

There is soil that is hard ground beside a roadway, where the seed is trampled underfoot, or the birds eat it up, Luke 8:5. Satan rejoices over this kind of soil, for the Word of God cannot take root. The Word is spoken to an unregenerate heart that refuses to acknowledge the existence and sovereignty of a loving Heavenly Father.

Rocky ground is shallow and allows no depth to the root, should the seed sprout. Some people receive the Gospel message with joy but quickly forget about spiritual things when the call of the world calls.

In thorny ground the Word of God is choked out through worries, the drive for riches, or seeking the pleasures of this life. The world is full of distractions and Satan’s aim is to destroy, distort and kill anything that is God’s own possession, 1 Peter 2:9.  Any fruit that develops is not able to mature. These are hearers of the Word that are not prepared to give up the things of selfish desire and submit their free will to the will of God.

Fertile Ground

Very few of those who hear the Word of God actually embrace what they hear, even though there is always potential whenever seed is sown. God would that none should perish, 2 Peter 3:9. Yet it is only the fertile soil that will yield good fruit that will last into eternity.  

The seed which falls on fertile ground represents a person whose heart is open to the things of God and receives it with great joy. They willingly acknowledge that all have sinned, Romans 3:23, and that Christ died in their place for their eternal redemption. These are the few who are prepared to enter the narrow way, Matthew 7:14.

Degrees of Growth

However, there are degrees of growth even in the fertile soil, which can be likened to a Moses Tabernacle experience. Some believers choose to stay in the Outer Court and produce a 30-fold return. Others enter into the Tabernacle proper and produce a 60-fold return.

Yet the few will give up all and enter the Most Holy Place with a 100-fold return on the seed sown. These are the ones who enter into a deep and meaningful relationship with their Creator, great Creator, I Am That I Am, Exodus 3:14.

DNA

A seed can only produce what is in its DNA. A tomato seed cannot produce a potato. We were created to fellowship God for we are His own possession, 1 Peter 2:9, and treasure on earth.

The Sower not only sows the seed, but He also cares for the plant, meeting its needs as it grows. Our Heavenly Father knows all our needs before we even ask, Matthew 6:8, and without faith we cannot please Him, Hebrews 11:6. Faith alone produces the yield from the seed, but that faith is a gift from God, Ephesians 2:8. Any fruit we produce from a yielded life is all God’s work, not ours. The glory goes to Him and Him alone.

The Yield

One tiny seed can produce many seeds. Those in turn will go through the same process to produce many more seeds after its own kind. This is a complicated and mysterious process, both naturally and spiritually.

Spiritually, a believer needs to become a sower of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our great commission is to make disciples of others, Matthew 28:19. We are to sow the seed, but it is God alone who brings forth new life, for He alone knows the state of each heart, 1 Samuel 16:7. He also prepares the fertile ground where the seed is to be sown.

How to Have Fertile Ground

Seeds reach for the light as naturally as the earth knows the relief of rain. The true believer will always reach for the relief of God’s spiritual rain, in a world that is overcome with evil. The state you arrive at the final destination is through faith, obedience and patience. That alone ensures a good return from the fertile ground. However, it all starts with a heart willing to hear the call of God and seek the things of heaven, Colossians 3:2.

The Christian walk is a journey and a process just as a seed is planted long before there is fruit. Our goal should always be to let the Holy Spirit produce a 100-fold return on the planted seed, both in our own lives and in the lives of those around us. Just as any planted seed is dependent on the sun and the rain, we are dependent on God for every step of our journey. His desire is that we maintain a personal relationship with Him. How you live is important to God, the great Sower.

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Dr. Wendy Stenberg-Tendys is a freelance writer who enjoys researching a topic and sharing words of encouragement from the Word of God.

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