Productive Saints

Productive Saints 

Mark chapter 4 records the parable of the four soils.

The good soil is only 1/4th of all the soil types. What sets it apart from the other three? It produces. Some good ground will bring a crop of fruit 30 times more than was sown. Some will actually increase 60 times and some will even bring in a hundred-fold return.

Not all good soil produces 100%, yet it is classified as good. Why? Because it is multiplying. The three remaining soil conditions are unfruitful, they bring forth zero, nada, zip.

I purpose to give God 100% of my time, energy and resources. Sometimes that takes increased faith and a hefty dose of courage. Other times it's easy and a joy to do. I've learned not to look on the outward to measure success. Why? Because I don't look on the heart, only God does.

Therefore, I give my ALL each time knowing that it is God who tries my heart as well.

"...realize that you must account to God for everything you do." (Ecc. 11:9b)
"Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow-perhaps it all will." (Ecclesiastes 11:6)

I've shared this for two reasons.
One, we determine our soil condition. God is so fair, isn't He?
Second, recognize how God demonstrates tremendous faith in OUR potential to be productive for Him.

He continues sowing into the ground of your heart and mine. WOW!
When I sow, I don't know the actual soil condition of the people. But God sows into our lives knowing our heart, our soil type, and still He sows. He gives 100% of Himself. Now, that's the God-kind-of-faith.

"If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done, God's ways are as mysterious as the pathway of the wind and as the manner in which a human spirit is infused into the little body of a baby while it is yet in its mother's womb." (Ecclesiastes 11:4-5 LB)

Faith sows regardless of outward conditions.

Some seeds will fall onto good productive ground.

The return of the good ground more than makes up for the three non-productive soil types.

We don't know where wind begins and ends, yet we know it exists.

We don't know how the human spirit joins to the embryo, yet we know it does.

We don't understand the mystery of how faith produces and yet it does.
How do we know? Faith brings forth evidence that can be seen.

When you and I share our faith with others, disciple new believers and equip them to share their faith, we don't know which one will lead others to Christ.

Our job is to go and make disciples.

We must do it by faith with expectation that God knows how to take what we did and turn it into more souls for His kingdom.

If we've sown in the past and haven't seen results we're tempted to think that's not our calling. The devil is a liar. Jesus called each and every believer to share their faith in Him with others and to make disciples teaching them everything He's taught us. We're to be busy doing that until He comes again.

As we sow, we leave the results to God. It's our responsibility to sow. It's the soil's job to be receptive and it's God's joy to bring the increase.

One example:
Years ago, in a KAM training seminar, I trained someone who trained others. I had no idea where the seeds of that KAM seminar landed. Years later, one Sunday, I was in another state in the U.S. visiting a church with one of my spiritual sons. To my amazement, the Pastor stood up and shared how the church was founded on KAM. He told the congregation that the Lord had blessed and now they had a congregation of about 2,000 people.

He went on to say what a blessing KAM was and how they were getting ready for their next semester. There's more to the story, but the point is...I sowed into someone, they sowed into someone, they sowed and on and on until only God knows how many found Christ, were healed, baptized in the Holy Spirit, discipled, encouraged, etc.

You may never know until you get to heaven all the fruit that came from your past sowing...or from what you sow today and in the future. But we do know this...if we don't sow, the result will be zero, nada, zip.

May we all rise up and advance God's kingdom ignited and united as ONE to go out and give 'em heaven!

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