A Vision For Fruitfulness

Vision begins with God. It is seeing Him for who He is. Once we see Him, we then should learn to see us as He sees us. Vision is the response we have after discovering our life in Christ. Vision motivates us to connect value to other people. True vision is not motivated by self, but led by the Spirit. Vision is always about bringing people into deeper relationship with Jesus. It’s about Jesus!

When we look at the Parable of the Sower, this passage reveals God’s vision for us in the realm of bearing fruit. Each of the soils represent the fruitfulness of man. The seed is the Word of God. The fruit is the result of what each person did with the seed. In other words, it is the quality of the soil that produces good fruit.

What kind of soil are you? What is the state of your heart right now? Is it able to receive the Word of God? Is your heart fertile ground for God’s vision to take root in your life? Has your heart been hardened by life? Has the devil stomped all over it and the “birds” snatched away the seed? What is the condition of your heart?

If your heart is soft and honest, if it’s willing to receive the seed, then you WILL produce a harvest. Fruit is the only way to qualify whether or not the soil is good and your vision lines up with God.

So let’s look at the 4 types of “soils” and the fruit they produce:

1. The Footpath: This is the worst type of soil! Satan has come quickly and snatched the seeds. This is a hardened, calloused person. It is someone who has been walked on over and over again. The seed (the Word) was stepped on and ruined before it ever had a chance to take root and grow! This picture represents those who are under the foothold of the devil. As they are getting to a place of reception of the seed, the devil comes along and stomps it out of them or his demons come to snatch away that Word! The interesting part is that Christians, as much as unbelievers, can represent each of these soils! There are too many Christians who never allow the Word to sink deep into their hearts.
2. The Rocky Soil is next and it is deceptive! It represents someone who receives the Word with great joy. As fast as they receive the Word, they wither away due to shallowness. These people jump from one thing to the next, never understanding their true shallowness because they have “heard” so many different things. When problems hit, or persecution arises for believing God’s Word (specifically), they fall away. The reason this is deceptive is that everyone loves to see God’s Word received so joyfully. But it’s equally as painful to see someone give up so easily. Notice that the plant wilts and dies for lack of moisture, or metaphorically a lack of time in God’s presence. This is the place where “burn-out” and wilting happens. Believers need moisture – the Holy Spirit is represented as rivers of living water! Believers need the presence of God. Who have you brought into the presence of God lately, if ever?

There are 2 more people that we are going to look at in part 2. But notice that so far 50% of the soils that the seed is thrown into results in n0 fruit! The question we need to ask ourselves is this: what fruit are we producing?

Learn more about the author Casey Bombacie

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