Tend & Persevere

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Today, we're going to consider the implications behind "[h]e indeed bears fruit and yields". Any person who has ever grown something knows that much work and timing is involved for it to bear fruit. A person working within God's law of seed, plant and harvest must know when to tend to the plants in order for it to persevere against adversity. Similarly, the seed of the word of God (faith) must be tended to in order to persevere and grow.

Last week's study is the stage that I would call fledgling faith or the beginning of your relationship with Jesus. With any wanted plant or relationship, there must be time and work to tend to and assist it to grow. When the heart is good soil, a person passionately pursues Jesus as one would pursue another in a dating relationship, where you are trying to get to know the other person. The pursuit of more of Jesus

Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.…As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.

-Matthew 13:8, 23 (ESV)

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comes from prayer, Bible study, community with believers and obeying moral laws (Ten Commandments) in all your interactions. As stated in Micah 6:8 (NIV) with regards to what God wants for sacrifices and offerings to Him, "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

As you tend and persevere in your faith, through a greater understanding, knowledge, love and trust in Jesus and God that you developed from the seed planted on the good soil of your heart. Your desire to spread the love of Jesus/God will grow and you will want to speak of the Good News of the gospel. You are, hopefully, prepared according to 1 Peter 3:15-16 (ESV) to always "in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame."

Have you been tending the seed of the word of God in growing in your heart? Do you feel ready with regard to 1 Peter 3:15-16?