Are you the kind of person that God can use whenever and
however he needs you? We’d all like to
think that we are, but upon closer examination, I can see in myself that much
work needs to be done. In Matthew 13,
Jesus shares a parable describing several different types of soils that
correspond to the responsiveness of human hearts to the Word of God.
While we most often think of this parable in light of salvation,
some biblical students correlate it to believers responding in varying degrees
of obedience to the call to serve God. Some
hear and don’t respond, others are only enthusiastic on the surface, but don’t have
conviction to serve, while others begin with excellence and serve well for a
time, but eventually get distracted by the cares of life and other desires and drift
off the field of service to the sidelines.
Nevertheless, there is a remnant whose hearts have been
broken, like fallow ground, watered by God’s Spirit and become usable and moldable
for him to grow whatever seed is planted in them. These servants, because of their brokenness,
are moldable for God’s use, constantly ready to be broken again, so that a new
crop can continually be planted upon the soil of their hearts, consistently
producing fruit.
This has caused me to take pause and reassess what could be
happening when my plans are disrupted. A changed schedule could mean meeting
someone I wouldn’t have met. A disrupted
day could mean spending more time with a friend who needs me more than I need
to check off every item on my daily list.
As I pray daily, I am seeing that I need to pray that the soil of my
heart remains breakable, that I might bear fruit for God.
Lord, let us bear fruit, but let us be willing to be broken
that others might grow, know your healing and bear fruit for you too!
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