Growing Up and Down
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
“Good growth takes place upward and downward at the same time.” – C.H. Spurgeon
Jesus warned about it and Jonah experienced it first-hand.
In Matthew 13, Jesus shares the Parable of the Sower. Some people refer to it as the Parable of the Soils, because the Sower is the same throughout the story whereas the quality of the soil changes… and determines the outcome. However, since Jesus Himself calls it the Parable of the Sower in verse 18, I’ll stick with that name.
In verses 5 and 6, Jesus describes some spiritual seed that falls onto rocky soil (or stony places) and immediately, shoots spring forth. However, when the sun comes up and reaches its zenith in the sky, those brittle young shoots wilt and die because – as He points out in verses 20 and 21 – they had very shallow roots. As a result, these plants lacked the strength to seek life-giving moisture well below the surface.
Of course, Jesus is referring to people who hear the Gospel, make an emotion-based decision for Christ, but have no depth of doctrine or understanding. Tragically, when the storms of life strike and reality sets in, they abandon their superficial faith.
Likewise, in Jonah 4, God prepares a plant to offer shade for the prophet. However, He also sends a worm to eat away at the plant so that it withers and dies under the scorching sun.
The moral of both stories – one a parable and the other factual – is that believers need to make sure that their faith is deeply rooted in order to withstand whatever comes their way. Sometimes it is Satan who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy our faith (see John 10:10)… and sometimes it is God allowing our faith to be tested. Not to harm us, but to refine us.
Charles Spurgeon, the “Prince of Preachers,” put it this way…
“Therefore, O heavenly Sower, plow me first, and then cast the truth into me, and let me yield a bounteous harvest.”
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:1
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
