Seasons: Summer — Wednesday
Luke 8:15
But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there’s a harvest. (MSG)
Growing up, I spent the summers at my grandparents’ house. There was a large garden in the backyard and a small garden on the side of the house. The small garden was home to one crop: cherry tomatoes. My cousins, brother, and I would spend our days riding bikes around the neighborhood, swinging on the swing set, and drinking from the hose. The one thing I could count on was that when I was hungry, I could grab a couple of tomatoes right off the vine. They were always there, almost like magic.
What I didn’t see was my grandfather getting up at dawn to water his crops every single day. I didn’t see him till the ground in the spring. I didn’t see him planting the tomato seed. All I knew is that I got to enjoy a little treat almost every day.
In our verse today from Luke’s gospel, Jesus is giving a picture of what a healthy and growing life with Him looks like. Just like my grandpa worked on his garden so he could produce a crop, we must work on the garden of our hearts to produce a harvest. Jesus is clear when He says we must retain the Word of God. And the only way to retain the Word is to read the Word.
While it would be ideal for each of us to spend hours reading the Bible each day, that’s not practical for most people. We are busy creatures with a lot of commitments, many of which are worthwhile investments of our time and energy. But if we are not committed to learning the Word of the Lord first and foremost, then we will never see our crops grow.
Wednesday’s Reflection
Spend some time today memorizing Luke 8:15, and reflect on what applying this looks like in your season of life.