Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Tuesday, 4 November 2014 "What kind of soil are you?"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Tuesday, 4 November 2014 "What kind of soil are you?"
Daily Scripture:  Matthew 13: The Meaning of the Harvest Story
18-19 “Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.
20-21 “The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.
22 “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.
23 “The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.”
Reflection Questions:
If you didn't already know, you surely at least suspected that Jesus' story about sowing seed wasn't mainly about farming. When his disciples asked him about the story's meaning, Jesus made it plain to them (and us) that the different soils actually described different kinds of people and experiences. The central issue he wanted each person to consider was, "How open is your deepest self to God's message?"
What kind of soil are you? How are you responding to God's message in your life? Scholar N. T. Wright said, "This takes time, and sometimes hard work. A quick glance at the Bible, an occasional sitting in church or a study group and being entertained by some new idea, is probably not enough. Care and thought needs to be put into the task of hearing the word of the kingdom until it has taken proper root." Click here for a list of ideas of ways to deepen the roots of your faith. 
Jesus also outlined, in verses 19-22, three factors that can make the "soil" of our spirit barren, and keep us from responding to Jesus' love. Which of the three issues Jesus identified has posed the biggest challenge to you in being a Christ-follower? In what ways have you and God already overcome some of those challenges? Which one or two remain the greatest area for your future "cultivation"?
Today's Prayer:
Loving God, I want to be receptive, to have the "seed" of your kingdom growing strongly and bountifully in my heart. Guide and help me in cultivating the "soil" of my heart to always be receptive to your word to me. Amen.
Insight from Rev. Glen Shoup
Rev. Glen Shoup is the Executive Pastor of Worship and a Congregational Care Pastor.
In light of today’s reading, I’d make the following observation: you and I are most susceptible to being the 3rd kind of soil—“thorny plants” (vs 22).
I say that not because we’re incapable of becoming hardened and impenetrable to God’s voice and leading—because a long obedience in the wrong direction will leave anyone of us disinterested and numbed to God’s purposes and will in our lives. I also don’t say it because we’re immune to becoming shallow and superficial in our faith and practice, because any one of us are fully capable of drifting into spiritual anemia (and without intentionality otherwise—this is where we will drift) where—as Paul warned Timothy in II Timothy 3—we have a superficial form of godliness but we deny the power thereof.  And finally, I most certainly am not suggesting we’re most susceptible to being the 3rd kind of soil because we aren’t interested or desirous of being the good soil Jesus spoke of in this parable—for by virtue of the fact that you are reading a daily devotional thought—clearly you want to know and grow in faith so that your life more fully becomes ground in which God’s grace and life can freely grow.
But the very fact that last statement is true about you (and hopefully me too) means that the most immediate threat we face to becoming the good soil Jesus spoke of is our susceptibility to the worries of this life and the false appeal of wealth which, according to our scripture today, are the two hallmarks of thorny ground because the seed of God’s grace and mission sink in, but these twin enemies of faith do everything they’re able to choke out God’s grace and mission and keep it from reaching unhindered bloom.
The kind of people who read a daily gps aren’t strong candidates to be rock-solid resisters to God’s will and way—they’re generally not the kind of people who daily battle with whether or not they’re going to murder, steal, lie, cheat and kick the dog all before lunch. And most often, they’re not terribly superficial, cause if they were—why would they be spending time reading a devotional when nobody’s looking other than God?
No, while you and I battle temptations and sometimes have thoughts cross our mind that we’d be aghast if anyone knew—generally we’re not most susceptible to the marquee sins that make headlines. Our most consistent temptations and greatest susceptibility comes at the intersection between God’s call and mission in our lives and the worries of this life and the false appeal of wealth.
Too often, the amount of time—the amount of focus that goes towards the worries of this life (worries about me and mine, worries about whether I’ll be happy, content, satisfied, have all I want) dovetail into the false appeal of wealth (if I just had a little more, what will that retirement number be, maybe I can buy this once I pay off that, what will we do on the vacation after the next one)…if we’re not careful, nearly all of our time, energy and attention get’s choked away chasing down the worries of this life and the false appeal of wealth.
Too often I’m oblivious and useless to God’s mission and call, not because I have no interest whatsoever…not because I’m only interested in the surface…and not because I don’t want to be good soil. Too often I’m oblivious and useless to God’s mission and call because I’m focused on my own stuff or how money is somehow the answer.
God, please help me to increasingly turn over all the hours in my day I’m obsessed with me and money…help me to stop choking out what You are trying to do in me.
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