Quick Fixes or Fruitfulness?

It is natural to want quick results. We want to find instant solutions that enable us to achieve our goals quickly. Sometimes it can feel like these solutions never will come. At these moments, we can find ourselves craving resolution, willing to embrace just about anything that offers hope for success.

It can be tempting to adopt shortcuts and cures that produce disappointing results. These instant fixes may provide temporary solutions, but in the end they’re a waste of time and money. In the long run, we often discover that our quick fixes simply don’t work.

These are the kind of results Jesus spoke about in His Parable of the Sower. He described how some Seed “fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil.” The results seemed encouraging at first. But because there was “no depth of soil,” the results did not last.

Jesus said that some people are just like these Seeds. They hear the Word and receive it with joy. But they have no depth or “firm root in themselves.” When they face troubles, they quickly “fall away.”

These are warnings to each of us. Yes, as the Bible makes clear, God is able to perform instantaneous miracles. Lives can be transformed in a mere moment. Yet we also need to realize the importance of building a strong Biblical foundation for our lives, and this is a process.

The Sower in Jesus’ story discovered that lasting results come when Seed is Sown in “good soil.” This soil is rich and deep, prepared properly. Seed Sown into this kind of soil bears fruit that is abundant and lasting.

This requires the development of Godly habits: living according to His Word…making Jesus our Lord…being filled with the Spirit…having a vibrant prayer life, and cultivating an intimate relationship with God. This preparation creates “good soil” and leads to long-term spiritual health and fruitfulness.