The Pearl, Part VII

Salvation and righteousness through Jesus Christ is the greatest gift of all. It is the single greatest gift that anyone can receive. The world (and the devil) tries desperately to apply pressure to our faith and joy in this gift so that we end up forgetting to bear fruit for God's glory. The true nature of the parable of the sower and it's profound meaning are based in faith (hearing and accepting the word of the gospel) which causes us to be joyful and then pushing past these pressures, "worldliness", trouble, and even persecution to end up bearing fruit for God.

God's wisdom is so amazing. So often we are taught that the 30,60, or 100 fold return (fruit) we reap (mentioned in the parable of the sower) is for us. The fruit is not for us. The fruit is for God. It is not about money, although there are many other scriptures that relate to tithing and money, this is not one of them. This parable is simply about how faith works from beginning to end.

We hear the word of God (or the gospel message) and we accept it with joy. The world immediately (with it's commitments, deadlines, troubles, persecution, responsibilities, and social/cultural structure) applies pressure to us to take our eyes off the prize and strip us of our faith and joy. If we push past these obstacles, we will bear fruit for God 30, 60, or 100 fold.

^{Matthew 13:18-23}

¹⁸"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. ²²The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. ²³But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."