When I was young, I remember there were days I got in trouble with my parents and I would lie to get myself out of trouble, which only brought more problems and a serious beating for that matter. I think we all passed through this naughty phrase, 🤪🤪 raise up your hand if you didn’t. Playing outside till late, eating at a friend’s house or even riding other children’s bicycle, to which the warnings were set out clearly and I tried my very best to keep up, but I failed one too many times. In my lying as a kid, I didn’t think that karma would catch up with me later on in life with my children. 🤣🤣🤣
It was the holiday season in August, and they didn’t have to sleep early but since it was a Saturday and Sunday we would be going to church; I had told them to sleep early. Shock on me, one hour later these dudes were still up and chatting away into the night. When I discovered, I started tiptoeing into their bedroom and I heard sounds of movements and for sure when I got in, they were pretending to be asleep! But mummy ain’t no fool! I had caught them red handed and they started laughing 😂 for being caught! That’s when I remembered my days when I was young. Who would have thought that what I did to my parents would come back and haunt me now? Indeed, what goes around, comes back around.
As I pounded on this, I was reminded on this verse in 1Corinthians 13:11 “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” It got me thinking, what does it mean to be spiritually mature and what childish behaviours are we still holding on to as believers?
Children are playful, run up and down and don’t seem to get tired of playtime, however when we grow up, we are more interested in being focused on reality than playing imagination. Growing up really does take a toll but it also causes us to appreciate all that we were able to do as children – it’s a journey of self-discovery in which we cannot go back to being kids again. When we get saved, we are like spiritual infants who need spiritual milk/food so that they can grow healthy and strong. This reminds me of the parable that Jesus gave of the farmer scattering seed.
This parable speaks of four (4) kinds of seed, which Jesus used to represent people, the ones that fell on the footpath, shallow rocky soil, thorns, and fertile soil. Footpaths are those who hear God’s word but don’t understand it, so the devil comes and steal the seed that was planted in their hearts. Shallow rocky soil are those who hear God’s Word, receive with joy, but since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away when problems and persecution come their way. Thorns on the other hand are those who hear God’s word, but the message is crowded with the worries of this life and the lure of wealth. And finally fertile soil are those who truly hear the word, understand it and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty or even hundred times as much as had been planted – Matthew 13
Which means the Christians who are represented by the footpath, shallow rocky soil and thorns do not produce the fruit that Christ was talking about and didn’t grow to the level of being spiritually mature. As believers, not only do we need to grow and produce fruit, but we also need to take a stand on which side we belong, and this means openly talking about Jesus Christ who is our Saviour and Lord.
The Bible gives us examples of people who we can relate with this parable, their seed either had fallen on footpath, shallow rocky soil, thorns and fertile grounds.
Lot’s wife. Lot was a cousin to Abraham, and he lived in Sodom/Gomorrah together with his wife and two daughters. Sodom and Gomorrah were towns in which the people did evil in the sight of God and because of that, they were destroyed. But God saved Lot and his family and gave them strict instructions of “run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains or you will be swept away” Gen 19:17. However as they were running away, Lot’s wife does the unthinkable and she looks behind to look what was happening behind her and she was turned into a pillar of salt. She was still clinging to her past life and did not want to completely believe that the life she knew was no longer there, and so she turned back to have another final look. Lot’s wife is like the seed that fell among the thorns but gets chocked up with the worries of this life and the lure of wealth. Are you still looking back to your life of sin, or are you looking forward to a life with Christ?
Ananias and Sapphira were dishonest with God, they intentionally lied about the amount they sold the land and they kept some of the proceeds for themselves. They were more focussed on keeping more money for themselves than being truthful with God. God hates sin, Proverbs 6:16, “there are six things the Lord hates – no, seven things He detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who sows discord in a family.” Because of dishonesty and greed husband and wife died. They were like seeds which landed on thorns, they valued wealth more than the Kingdom of God.
Saul was a man that was chosen by God to be the first king of Israel. The Bible records it that he was, “the most handsome man in Israel – head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land,” 1Samuel 9:2. But Saul disobeyed God – he took up the place of a priest and sacrificed the burnt offering and peace offerings himself. Prophet Samuel told him, “How foolish! You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever,” 1Samuel 13:9. Saul was like seeds that had been thrown on shallow rocky soil and didn’t have roots deep enough to stand firm and be patient and wait on God, he took things up for himself and paid a huge price for it. What about you?
The Pharisees and Sadducees were religious people back in the day who knew and followed the Jewish law. They knew what the prophets had prophesied about the coming of the Messiah, yet when Jesus came, they rejected Him. They were like seeds that had fallen on the footpath, they didn’t accept God’s gift in the form of a man who’s earthly father was a carpenter, and they came up with way and means to destroy Jesus. Their hearts were hard causing them not to produce any fruit whatsoever.
John baptised Jesus in river Jordan and even saw the Spirit of God descending on Jesus Christ, but John started doubting when he was put in prison by king Herod. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” Matthew 11:2-6. He doubted because maybe he thought that when the Messiah came, then he wouldn’t have to go through any sort of trial or hardship – something that most of us also believe. Just because you have gotten saved, then nothing bad should happen in your life and when it does, we think that God has completely abandoned us.
Elijah was a major mighty prophet who called fire from Heaven, but when he heard that Jezebel was looking for him saying, “may the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them (the prophets of baal), so Elijah got into somewhat depression, “he was afraid and fled for his life, went to the wilderness and prayed, “I have had enough Lord, take my life for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died,” (1kings 19:2-4).
Jonah was told by God to go and preach to the people of Nineveh so that they could be saved, but Jonah thought the people were too sinful and shouldn’t be forgiven by God, so he ran away. God on the other hand allowed Jonah to follow his heart in as much as he was running away from Him. What Jonah didn’t know or seemed to forget is that God’s purpose will be fulfilled even if we try running away from God. Jonah boards a ship and God brings a storm and Jonah if forced to tell the truth to the people on the ship, who now throw him into the sea. Jonah is swallowed by a fish, stays there for 3 days and 3 nights and the fish takes him exactly where he needed to be and finally, he shares God’s word with the people of Nineveh. Jonah behaved like a child who didn’t want to share their Father with the rest of the people, he played hide and seek with God.
We have all fallen short of God’s glory in one way or the other – we are not perfect. The deciding factor comes into play when we realize our mistakes and change our ways, running back to God our Father who is gracious and merciful towards us. May the Word of God that has been planted in you grow and produce fruit thirty, sixty or even a hundred times as much as has been planted.
Blessings!!
Cynthia Gitonga Blog 