Savior, Sower, Shepherd<\\/h3>\\n Before I knew Jesus, I was a tyrant of a human being. I was so angry that I didn\\u2019t know how to contain it. Woe to the one who lit my fuse, because I had no boundaries when it came to showing my fury. Cussing was my first choice of language and loud was my only volume. Pride was my best friend. She and I could make you feel small, and we assured you did.<\\/p>\\n At age 16, I was pursued by a team of youth pastors determined to introduce me to Jesus. Relentless, they would follow me home from school to the apartments where I lived and invite me to their church. Trying to avoid them, I would hide in the bushes or duck down in the courtyard pool hoping they would pass. They never did. When I emerged from my hiding place or ran out of air and surfaced from the pool, they were there patiently waiting.<\\/p>\\n

{"id":1245,"date":"2024-04-04T09:30:43","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T15:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/throughtheeyesoffaith\/?p=1245"},"modified":"2024-04-04T05:02:10","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T11:02:10","slug":"hows-the-soil-of-your-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/throughtheeyesoffaith\/2024\/04\/hows-the-soil-of-your-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"How’s the Soil of Your Heart? Your Shepherd Wants to Know."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

"Lion

How\u2019s the Soil of Your Heart?-Pixabay-Jeff-Jacobs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Savior, Sower, Shepherd<\/h3>\n Before I knew Jesus, I was a tyrant of a human being. I was so angry that I didn\u2019t know how to contain it. Woe to the one who lit my fuse, because I had no boundaries when it came to showing my fury. Cussing was my first choice of language and loud was my only volume. Pride was my best friend. She and I could make you feel small, and we assured you did.<\/p>\n At age 16, I was pursued by a team of youth pastors determined to introduce me to Jesus. Relentless, they would follow me home from school to the apartments where I lived and invite me to their church. Trying to avoid them, I would hide in the bushes or duck down in the courtyard pool hoping they would pass. They never did. When I emerged from my hiding place or ran out of air and surfaced from the pool, they were there patiently waiting.<\/p>\n

I found Jesus, My Savior<\/h3>\n When I finally met Jesus, I gave Him my everything. I experienced a radical change in my heart, mind, and soul. \u00a0I remember it like it was yesterday when in fact, it was 35 years ago. The impact it had on me changed me. My eyes were opened, and I was aware of His presence in my life. He is my Savior. He saved me from this life and gave me hope for my future. (Psalm 38:15-22<\/a>)<\/p>\n God\u2019s Word never returns void. (Isaiah 55:11<\/a>). But not all who hear will produce a crop. Jesus tells the parable of the farmer who sowed seeds. Some fell on rocky ground but had no roots, so they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, that grew up with it and choked out the plants. Still, other seeds fell on good soil. They came up and yielded a crop, a hundred more times than what was sown.<\/p>\n

God\u2019s Word is the Seed \u2013 Let\u2019s Be Sowers<\/a><\/h3>\n \ If God\u2019s Word is the seed, then we can interpret the parable as such: People who walk along the path are those who hear God\u2019s Word. However, Satan\u2019s best plan is to distract us from following what we hear. He will send Doubt and Fear to keep our eyes off the path. He desires to keep us from believing The Word.<\/p>\n \ Seeds on rocky ground are the ones who heard The Word with great joy but grew no roots. Doubt and Fear easily led them off God\u2019s path. The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who heard the Word, but Doubt and Fear choked it out of them with anxieties and desires for wealth and pleasures. But the seeds that landed on good soil represent those with an honorable and good heart. They hear and retain The Word, then produce a crop a hundred times more than what was sown.<\/p>\n

My Shepherd<\/a><\/h3>\n \ Jesus, didn\u2019t sow God\u2019s seeds alone. He had the twelve disciples and a handful of women alongside Him. Together, they reached country homes, villages, towns, cities, and even nations. They changed hearts, minds, and souls for Jesus.<\/p>\n \ Today, at age 52, I\u2019m so thankful for the seeds planted in my heart when I was 16 and before. I\u2019m even more grateful that I get to be included among those who are considered to have an honorable and good heart. Not only did I hear The Word, but I am putting Jesus on display with everything I have using the gifts and talents He has given me.<\/p>\n \ It\u2019s not too late to tend to the soil of your heart so that when God\u2019s Word reaches you, His seeds fall on good soil. Together we can produce a crop a hundred times more than what we sow.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \ \u00a0 Savior, Sower, Shepherd Before I knew Jesus, I was a tyrant of a human being. I was so angry that I didn\u2019t know how to contain it. Woe to the one who lit my fuse, because I had no boundaries when it came to showing my fury. Cussing was my first choice of language […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5225,"featured_media":1248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,104,86,68,137,134],"tags":[50,89,47,77,122,14],"class_list":["post-1245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-encouragement","category-forgiveness","category-gods-love","category-kindness-matters","category-prayer","category-trust","tag-encouragement","tag-gods-love","tag-hope","tag-self-aware","tag-trust","tag-truth"],"yoast_head":"\nHow's the Soil of Your Heart?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When I finally met Jesus, I gave Him my everything. 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