My five questions to help anyone grow a productive Christian life
By Dean Collins
According to the USDA, the secret to productivity is in the soil.
If you’re nothing more than a home gardener, you might want to get on board with the campaign called Unlock the Secrets in the Soil. This National Soil Health Awareness Campaign encourages farmers and gardeners to increase their crop production by answering these five questions:
• Do you build organic matter in the soil?
• Do you test the soil at least once every four years?
• Do you use no-till practices?
• Do you use cover crops?
• What can we do together to improve soil health on my land?
I’m no expert in farming, but the simple questions the USDA came up with make sense. My guess is they created this campaign to help farmers remember and then do the basics that will make their land more productive.
It would appear that Jesus was way ahead of the USDA and knew that the secret not only to farming, but to living, had to do with the quality of the soil. Maybe that’s why three of the four Gospel writers included the parable of the soil. They realized that Jesus was offering a clear and simple approach to productive living. It starts with the condition of the soil of our hearts and minds.
I’ve come up with five questions I think are consistent with what Jesus points out about the soil he describes. Some are found in the parable of the soil and some come from his other teachings.
1) Do you remember your origin?
In the beginning God created. It was God who designed all things. He even created man from the soil of his earth. Since God initiated and designed us and our environment, maybe things go better when we align our thoughts and behaviors with his wisdom and plans.
2) Do you pay attention to what Jesus said?
Jesus puts it this way: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” It’s not just a catchy phrase. It is an invitation to consider and assess whether we are, in fact, taking in his direction. Jesus time after time gave us the path to wholeness and abundant life, but we must do more than let his words pass by our eyes and ears. Hearing his word isn’t enough. Doing his will should always follow hearing.
3) Do you remember to cultivate your heart?
When you heard the good news you may have experienced what the listeners at Pentecost experienced; you were cut to the heart and cried out to God for his help. Repentance came at once, and your heart opened to God. You chose to align your will with his will. You chose to be identified with Christ and let others know about this heart change by identifying with Christ in baptism. The Holy Spirit became your guide just as Jesus promised he would do.
But after accepting Jesus it is important to continue cultivating our hearts by allowing the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to reveal the rocks and weeds of sin that must be removed so we can fully receive all of the richness of God in our hearts that then translates to godly and kingdom life.
4) Are you intentional about staying under the shelter of God?
Psalm 91 is rich in the description of God as our place of shelter. His wingspan is broad, and when we stay in the shadow of his love, we have no reason to fear. Jesus described this abiding in Christ in John 15, and Paul explained the shield of faith we must pick up each day in Ephesians 6.
5) Are you trying to live for God by yourself or have you realized your need for his community?
Acts 2:42-47 describes the practice of the early church. They shared food, resources, prayer, all of life. We watch in amazement to see this Christian community expand as we read through the book of Acts. Over and over again in the epistles we hear the many ways we are to encourage, pray for, love, forgive, express kindness, and minister to one another. Hebrews tells us to make sure we don’t avoid community but rather seek it. There is no place or way for believers to make a solo journey for God.
I’m not much of a farmer but I have come to understand that if I want to see a harvest in the Kingdom of God, it begins with and continues by making sure I have cultivated the soil of my heart. In the time I have left on earth I would love to see God yield thirtyfold, sixtyfold or even a hundredfold. That can only happen when I pay attention to Jesus and obey him instead of trying to do it my way.
Your time with God’s Word
Mark 4:3-9; Psalm 119:10-11 ESV
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