Good Dirt | Oct. 1st

"And other seed fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.

But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."

Mark 4:8, 20

Beloved, the desire to produce fruit glorifying unto the Lord can only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit. As we have considered the soil conditions over the past few days, we must ask ourselves, what is the condition of my heart?

No one has good soil except if you are in Christ. Our hearts are hard, full of weeds, and easy prey to the enemy. Christ has turned our hearts of stone into flesh again. Our hope in Christ is that He will create good soil within us. He will give constant care by weeding and breaking up the following ground.

The Lord will bring depth to our souls. He enables us to resist the fowl of the air which desires to destroy the seed. The Holy Spirit will convict, refresh, and produce fruit that will be glory to the Father. May we yield to the Lord today and bring forth His fruit.

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Wight

Weeding | Sep. 30th

"Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.

And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."

Mark 4:7,18-19

Growing up in the country many families had a garden, ours was no exception. With each passing season, the garden seemed to increase in size. There would be a greater variety of vegetables and eventually a couple of fruit trees and grapes.

Gardening became part of the chores my sisters and I were required to do. At the top of the list was weeding out the garden. Weeds take away nutrients and space away from the produce. They draw the water intended for the vegetables, block the sun if they get too big, and crowd out what you want to grow. It felt as though the weeds pop out overnight. It required vigilance.

The cares of life, burdens, and desires can crowd out what our minds should be set on. These things draw our attention and passion away from the things of God. Even the burdens of life represented by our responsibilities should be brought before the word of God so that we might see them properly and seek God's mercy and help.

Any desire that takes us away from God and the things of God is a thorn attempting to make the grain unfruitful. Be aware of the things that consistently keep you from reading and praying, causing you to miss church and have your mind thinking about everything else rather than the Lord and what He has for your life.

Ask the Holy Spirit to weed out your heart today.

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Wight

Deeply Rooted | Sep. 27th

"Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away."

" And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away."

Mark 4:5-6, 16-17

One of my summer jobs in my teen years was working for a construction landscape company. The company built stone walls and installed lawns in new home developments. In most cases soon after a home was framed and finished on the outside we would put in the lawn. Surrounding the house would be processed stone or packed hard soil. We would come and cover the ground with a few inches of loam, good soil, then that would be graded and seeded or sod put down. Eventually, you will have a nice green lawn. If the loam were too thin, the grass would burn and die when exposed to the sun.

Beloved, if we are shallow in our knowledge of God and His word then we do not have the spiritual roots deep enough to endure the trials of life. Some immediately receive the word of God with joy but it does not become a part of their everyday life and when life becomes difficult their faith withers away.

Jesus explained that " they had no root in themselves" even though there was immediate joy when the word was first heard. Be not only a hearer of God's word but a doer. May the word of God take root in your heart and mind so that when the storms of life come you can stand. Yield your heart to the Sower today and grow in the grace of God.

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Wight