Good Ground
By G. Craig Lauterbach, September 2005
Have you ever asked yourself why it seems some people bear more fruit than others? There is a reason for this. It’s not because God has more love for them. The Word of God is very clear on this. God has no favorites! His love is equal for all people. Then why do some prosper and others struggle? Listen to what I am about to say. Success isn’t based on what we have. It’s based on what we do with what we’ve been given. Did you catch that? I’m going to say it again. Success isn’t based on what we have. It’s based on what we do with what we’ve been given.
Look at the story of NFL, Hall of Fame, and Wide Receiver Raymond Berry. His life is one of determination, dedication and desire. Berry, who needed to wear special shoes because one leg was shorter than the other, didn’t become a starter on his high school football team until his senior year – even though his father was the coach. As an end for Southern Methodist, he caught all of 33 passes in three seasons. Why the Baltimore Colts selected him, even as a “future choice” on the 20th round of the 1954 draft, is a mystery. A long shot to make the Colts, Berry was determined. He practiced and practiced, catching passes from anyone willing to throw to him. He concentrated on making the difficult catch and running perfect patterns. Although he had just average speed, he developed, by his own count, 88 different moves to get open. He ran patterns within inches of how they were diagramed. In 1956, Johnny Unitas became the Colts’ quarterback and Raymond was ready to put all his hours of practice to use. Together the two gave the Baltimore Colts one of the greatest pass-catch teams of all time. Three straight times Raymond led the league in receptions and caught a then-record 631 passes for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns in his 13-year career. A first- or second-team All-Pro choice in 1957 through 1961 and again in 1965, he was selected to play in six Pro Bowl games during his career. A sure-handed receiver, Raymond fumbled only once in 13 years. Perhaps his greatest moment came in the famous overtime 1958 NFL Championship Game. He set a then-record with 12 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown. Several of his grabs came in the Colts’ life-or-death, last minute drive to the tying touchdown. In the overtime period, two receptions good for 33 yards were the major gains in Baltimore’s drive for the winning score. Raymond Berry’s success wasn’t based on what he had. It was based on what he did with what he already possessed.
Look at Matthew 13:18-23. 18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” NKJV
In this text, each individual received the exact same seed. Not only was it the same seed, but also the same sower sowed it. The only difference you do find is the condition the soil was in when the seed was planted. Jesus speaks of four different types of soil here: wayside, stony places, thorns, and good ground. Early in my Christian walk, I thought this scripture taught that some people were predestined to be wayside soil, others stony soil, some thorn infested soil, and then the select few were given the privilege of being good ground. It didn’t matter what you did, this was your lot in life, so you better get use to being what you were created to be. What an awful way to think, but thank the Lord I have since learned differently. God measures success by faithfulness. Considering this, let’s take a moment to examine the different kinds of ground Jesus speaks and how it applies to our lives.
The Wayside
The word “wayside” found in verse four of our text is also defined as, highway or road. During this period of history, the wayside, highway, or road was a beaten down and hardened dirt path. Why would Jesus use this example as a type of soil for planting seed? The wayside is symbolic of the road we call life. Life isn’t always fair and it can make you hard if you allow it.
I heard the testimony of a young man who at the age of 9 was molested by his biological father. If this were not enough, the father would then bring his male companions home to sexually abuse the son. By the age of 12, the boy was addicted to crack. He tried to mask the pain he felt by medicating himself with this illegal substance. To support his drug habit, he began prostituting his body to other men. At 16 he wound up in juvenile detention and by the time he reached 18 years of age, he was in federal prison. After serving five years of the sentence, he was released. Unable to find work, he reverted back to what he knew best. Because of what he had experienced and walked through, his life became like the street he was living on, HARD! Why did this young man become hard? His hardness was a wall of protection. The life he had lived caused him to put up walls of protection to hide behind as a safeguard from ever being hurt again.
This is whom Jesus is speaking of when He refers to the seed by the wayside. The wayside life is an individual who has become hard because of the road they have traveled. Their unresolved hurts and unmet needs have created such pain, that they find it almost impossible to trust anyone, including God. Notice I said “almost.” When this individual hears the Word of the Lord, they are faced with a decision. They need to decide whether or not they will receive and release God’s forgiveness towards themselves and others, especially those who hurt them.
This is what the young man I spoke of earlier did. Because he allowed God to deal with the issues that made him hard, he was set free and is now on staff at a great church.
The spiritual plow of repentance struck the wayside soil of his life and dug a hole for the seed (God’s Word) to germinate in. He gave what he had to the Lord and now his life is blessed and prosperous! Do you feel like wayside ground? Then allow the Holy Spirit to break the hardness of your heart and begin the process of freedom.
The Stony Places
Jesus also spoke of seed that feel on stony places. On the surface this ground looks good, but underneath, the soil is filled with rocks. A few years ago my children gave me a hammock for Father’s Day. The only problem with this was, I had no trees in my backyard to fasten the hammock to. Being the innovative individual I am, I ran down to the local lumberyard and purchased two pressured treated posts. My plan was to dig down into the earth, drop the posts in, and then fill it with concrete. As I started digging the hole, the first 12 inches went smooth. It was the second 12 that gave me problems. Half way in, I hit rock and shale. I even found a broken bathroom sink. How weird is that? The builder found it easier to cover his remaining debris with topsoil, rather than using the construction site dumpster. Needless to say, these two holes took me the better part of the day. Had I known in advance what was in the ground, I would have hired someone to do the job for me.
How does this fit in with the parable of the sower? The stony places illustrate a life filled with issues because of unhealed hurts and unmet needs. In an attempt to deal with these issues, bad decisions are made, and now this person finds him or herself carrying excess baggage. What do I mean by excess baggage? I’m talking about bad attitudes and ungodly habits that are not visible from the outward appearance. This is an individual who hears the Word of the Lord and believes it, but their issues never allow them to grow beyond that point. Then the moment hard times hit, they become discouraged and are ready to give up because of what they are going through. Aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t do that on the Cross? Where would we be today if He had? There would be no church, no ministry, no hope, no way out. Well, that isn’t the case. He didn’t give up and because of that, there is a way out!
What is a person to do if the soil of their life is stony places? They need to make a decision that they and God together are going to get the rocks out of their life. Allow the Holy Spirit the freedom to go deeper into the recesses of your heart. He will reveal the issues that are holding you back. Areas of unforgiveness resulting from abuse or misrepresentation need to be recognized and repented of. You will never fully realize the forgiveness of God in our own life until you forgive those who have hurt you. Many have a misconception when it comes to forgiveness. They feel that by forgiving, you are giving the guilty party your approval. That is not the case. When you choose to forgive, you are spiritually and emotionally releasing those who have assaulted you. When this takes place, it sets you free and opens the door for God to deal with the individuals who injured you.
When you plant seed in the earth, it grows. Whether its good or bad seed doesn’t matter, when you plant it, it still grows. Scripture teaches you and I were made from the dirt of the earth. That means we are God’s spiritual garden. If we want to be the kind of soil that produces healthy growth and desirable fruit, then we need to work the spiritual ground of our lives. On my wife’s side of the family, she has uncles and cousins who are farmers. I remember while at a family reunion, I commented on how fertile their soil was. I said, “You’ve been blessed with good land.” Cindy’s uncle replied, “It wasn’t always this way.” He then continued to tell me how they have worked the land for years. From his grandfather on, they have worked the soil by clearing trees, removing rocks, and any other obstructions. Through time and a lot of hard work, the land had become what it was now. This same principle applies to us. If we will allow the Holy Spirit the opportunity to work our stony places, He will remove the trees and rocks in our lives. Through time, we can be transformed into good ground!
The Thorns
There was another soil Jesus spoke of. This is the person who receives the Word of the Lord among the thorns. He refers to the thorns as the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. It’s important to understand what Jesus is saying here. The riches of this world are not a bad thing but when we place a higher importance on them than God, that’s wrong! In the same way, money is not evil. It’s the love of money that’s sinful. When our priorities are misplaced, Satan will distract us with the lure of wealth and what it has to offer. When this happens, we will do whatever necessary to obtain and protect our investments. The accumulation of material wealth and possessions can turn into a full time occupation. You’re torn between trying to enjoy everything and give oversight at the same time. Before you know it, after adding a career and family on top of your possessions, there’s no time left for God. Whether it’s making time on the weekends to enjoy your new boat, or getting away to that vacation home, when it’s all said and done, God gets your leftovers if there’s anything left at all.
Elvis Presley was a man who acquired great fame and wealth. After his death, it was his request to be buried in his favorite Cadillac. I’m sure that was a graveside service to remember, but the truth is, the way we came into this world is the way we leave. Everything Elvis acquired during his earthly life was left behind when he died. Even though he was buried in his Cadillac, he isn’t driving it on the streets of eternity. God doesn’t measure success the way man does. It’s not about your bank account; it’s not about what this world thinks of you. It’s about a personal relationship with our Creator and what we do for Him that counts. That’s why Jesus instructed us to store up treasures in Heaven. In other words, we need to live our lives with eternity in mind. Set your priorities with God’s agenda in mind. Matthew 6:33 reads “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” NKJV Simply put, it’s God first and everything else second! If you want to be good ground, then it’s time to rip out the thorns.
Good Ground
The seed that produced fruit was the seed that fell on good ground. Jesus said, “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” WOW! Any investor would jump at the opportunity to get a return like that. How would you like to get in on this? Well, God wants you to have this kind of dividend. In fact, God wants all people to enjoy this level of blessing. Whether or not we experience this hinges on the following. Life is a choice. That means we determine the type of soil we are. Did you hear me? I’m going to state it again. We determine the type of soil we are. What am I saying? We may not always control what happens to us, but we do control what stays with us. The person Jesus called good ground did one thing none of the others did. They all had the same seed and they all heard the same word, but only one understood. Jesus said, “He hears the word and understands it.” What does He mean by understand? In the Greek, the word Jesus uses here has military inference. It deals with understanding a hostile adversary or combatant. In other words, it means knowing your enemy and his strategies. The seed, which fell on good ground, represents the person who is willing to implement the Word in their life. They confront and overcome the issues the enemy has brought against them.
In John 10:10 Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” NKJV It’s God’s desire for all people to be good ground. At the same time, Satan, who Jesus calls the thief, will stand in opposition to our blessing. If we let him, he will steal, kill, and destroy our seed by using the painful things we have experienced in life. These unmet needs and unhealed hurts will harden our spiritual ground, they will put rocks in our spiritual ground, and they will grow thorns on our spiritual ground. It doesn’t have to be this way. Once you understand the enemy behind these attacks, you can do what’s necessary in order to win the battle. It’s time to work your land. God says you are GOOD GROUND!
