Fields United Methodist Church

Thoughts Along the Way

Pastor Tom Joyce

January 10, 2022

“Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Matthew 13:8

Several years ago, we lived in a house that was once part of a cornfield. It seemed like every time we planted a flower or a bush, they couldn’t seem to stop growing; the soil was fertile and ready to receive a new addition to the garden. We had other homes where the soil was barely able to grow grass let alone flowers. So it is with the Word of God; it needs to be planted in good soil in order for it to thrive. Think of good soil in this way; God’s love is the soil that we need to truly celebrate what has been offered to us. If we are cynical, judgmental or bitter, the Word has a difficult time being supported. It may be ok for a while but eventually our attitudes will reduce the ability for the Word to survive within us or spread through us. Here is the Good News, the really, really Good News; you have been given an amazing gift to cultivate God’s Word in your life. The greatest fertilizer you can use to receive the Word of God is God’s grace, which is God’s love poured into you by the Holy Spirit and no matter what negative attitudes or experiences you may have, Jesus has the power to transform your life to receive the joy of faith to accept, celebrate, and spread. Take a moment today to consider those things in your life that may be keeping God’s Word to be fully manifest in your life.  Allow God’s grace into your life and experience the “seeds” of God’s Word to set you free to celebrate life, in abundance.