Living for Jesus a life that is true,

striving to please Him in all that I do,

yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free

- this is the pathway of blessing for me.

Living for Jesus who died in my place,

bearing on Calv’ry my sin and disgrace -

such love constrains me to answer His call,

   What are you made of?

   This question struck me as I finished reading the Parable of the Sower.

   "And He spake many things unto them in parables, saying, ‘Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear... Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one hears the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.’" - Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23

   What type of soil are you?

   First Jesus described a path, made up of hard packed earth. If you’ve ever grown a plant you know that a seed cannot germinate and grow if it lands on the dry path of your garden. To begin with it isn’t planted in the ground, but lies on top; and if the sun’s light and heat doesn’t kill it, something, maybe a bird, will eat it. But even if it isn’t destroyed the seed cannot grow without moisture and loose soil. If you are like this soil you are determined not to accept anything. The devil has you so blinded that you don’t listen to advise, you refuse to hear what others have to say. And if you don’t take drastic action and turn back to God and till up your soil (Jeremiah 4:3, Hosea 10:12) you are in danger of passing from this world into everlasting darkness and loosing God’s gift of salvation. Being this type of soil is dangerous: All you are good for is being walked on and looked over, you can’t even produce weeds, you are just a barren waste.

   Jesus describes His Word as falling upon stony ground next, where the seeds quickly spring up, but because of a lack of good soil they also quickly die because they have no root. This kind of soil is common. In a person it is manifested by quickly jumping at new ideas, hobbies, likes and dislikes, etc., but after a little while you lose interest, or your new ideas are challenged and, because they lack root and a firm place in your life, are dropped. In the bigger picture this is a very insecure position; without a firm conviction in the things you believe the tiniest trials and troubles will kill your faith. Our belief in God and the fundamental issues surrounding that belief must have a firm root system in our life. We must understand what we believe and why for ourselves and not because our pastor, church, parents, family, husband, wife, friends, or relatives says so. Faith is a personal matter between you and God. Get rid of your stones and gain some soil in your life, some room for roots.

   The third soil Jesus uses in this parable is full of thorns. When the seeds sprout, so do the thorns and as they grow the good seed is choked out. This is a problem we all face in our lives, some of us more than others. The thorns in our lives can vary widely; money, work, fashion, entertainment, sports, the pursuit of wealth, power or fame, and so the list goes. Whatever our thorns are, they are big producers; we may only have one thorn, but without seeing it for what it truly is, a weed and a detriment to our lives, and pulling it up, we soon have fifty more. What are the thorns in your life? What do you spend the most of your efforts, time, and concentration on? Have the things you enjoy doing outside of your relationship with God taken on a life and importance of their own? As hard (and sometimes painful) as it can be we must pull up the weeds in our life before our "good seeds" can grow.

   The last soil in the parable (and the soil we all strive to be) is the good soil. When the sower’s seed fell into the good soil it sprouted and grew. And instead of having shallow roots and becoming spindly, it grew steadily, and became hearty and fruitful. When we plant something, whether it is a tree, flower or vegetable, we expect results; we don’t want to waste our time. The end result of the seed falling on the good ground was that it produced and was fruitful. This is the kind of person we want to be; the person who not only hears and understands, but produces fruit. When God gives us the seed (the truth) of His Word, He desires it to grow in our lives, to be the "apple of our eye," and when mature to cast forth more seed, sometimes twenty, sometimes fifty, sometimes one hundred. Not only are you sowing the Word but through your example of a faithful servant of Christ others are witness to the fruits of the spirit in you - an example of the true life in Christ.

   So, what type of soil are you? And what type do you want to be?

   Now the good soil is made up of all kinds of materials, and for it to be good it needs to have the certain qualities that enable it to support life. Just as we are made up of more than hands, arms, legs, and brain, we have qualities in us that make us who we are. For us to grow and produce fruit we also need the right collection of qualities in us. Our character defines us because what we do, how we react, the choices we make when decisions arise; it is all contained within the facets of our character.

   I once heard of a person’s character make-up described as a "character stew" and every person is in control of what goes into his or her stew - whether it is good or bad. And so it is your choice whether your stew is going to be hearty and wholesome, or bitter and weak. Are you letting your good ingredients spoil; are you corrupting a good character quality when it joins the pot? For example: You are working on adding honesty, but you let a little deception fall in with it, "because a little white lie once in a while won’t hurt anyone." But as a tiny amount of yeast added to a lump of dough raises the whole, a little deception builds and grows until honesty is pushed out.

   Once something is added which is not good, you can take it back out, but only with hard work when it all could have been simply avoided in the first place. So as you put together your ingredients be very careful what you choose.

   The Bible lists a selection which is important in Galatians 5:22-23, "...Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:" These are the internal and external results of having the Spirit of God in you. In 1 Timothy 6:11 Paul exhorts Timothy to flee from evil and to pursue the things of God, "But thou, O man of God... follow after righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."

   Other qualities such as diligence, discernment, patience, truthfulness, hospitality, humor (the Godly kind), forgiveness, loyalty, responsibility, tenderheartedness, humility, compassion, thankfulness, purity, charity, vigilance, contentment, obedience, peacemaking, faithfulness, forgiveness, courage, sincerity, and honor are also important. The list can go on and on.

   Here is a little study you can do on character building. First, make a list of character traits you value. Then spend some time considering people you know or have met and write down what it is about them that you admire (in their character). Once you have your two lists, compare the two and see what qualities they have in common, write these down at the top of another list, and then follow them with the rest on your two lists, double-checking if you really admire each one. Now use this final list as a personal Bible study. Find each character trait in the Bible (a concordance is very helpful!) and write down the verses concerning each and notate if the trait is mentioned in a positive or negative manner. After you’ve researched your list in the Bible examine the results. Were there a lot of "negative" traits you admired? Did your opinion change on any due to what the Bible said? (You can also do this study on traits you don’t admire - also very interesting) "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth." - 2 Timothy 2:15

   This is a very interesting study to do and sometimes you can find out that you admire people for the wrong reasons. Not only will this study improve the character building in yourself but it will also open your eyes on what is admirable in others, what is true, honest and pure. Seeing this (the Godly, true character traits versus the ungodly, selfish character traits) in others will motivate you to become a better person and a truer Christian.

   Recognizing character qualities in others is very important to develop. We don’t want to associate or choose to become friends with someone who lies, or cheats, is uncaring, or prideful. People of this sort aren’t striving to become Christ-like, but are rather serving themselves and their desires. A person who is striving to become like Christ is actively pursuing character betterment and laying down their desires and self.

   In everyday life, recognizing character qualities is helpful when making friends, choosing leaders, business partners, and especially a spouse. I personally want to marry a man who has most of the qualities I’ve specified in this article, who is made up of good soil, and who is working on the qualities in which he is lacking. And I know you share my desire, this is something we all want.

   But of course we aren’t provided with "character windows," instead we have to develop our internal eyes; eyes that see beyond the outward appearance of a person and into the real person. "But the Lord said unto Samuel, ‘Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’" - 1 Samuel 16:7. This is impossible to achieve, no human being can always see the real, often hidden, man. And we can never fully achieve this gift without God, but if we lean on Him He will give us those eyes.

   A good place to begin is by watching your friends and acquaintances; are they the same person at work, in times of stress or trouble, at home, alone? Now, we all try to put our "best foot forward," trying to hide our imperfections and our faults; it’s human nature and attempting to overcome it is hard. But everyone appreciates a genuine person and the Bible admonishes us in Leviticus 19:11, "You shall not... deal falsely, neither lie one to another." A good sign to begin looking for is someone who continually puts others before himself (or herself), not just when you’re looking on, trying to impress you. Have they made it a personal mission to do good unto others? Once you find this in someone, you’ll soon find a goodly portion of the other Godly character traits. Beyond recognizing this in others, is learning to develop them in yourself and learning to see them in friends and family will give you role models who can encourage you in your character building.

   Do you want to be the person who God finds a willing vessel through which He can work and shine through? I think we would all answer yes, but we cannot understand the consequences of that answer. Just because a child wants to become an astronaut doesn’t mean that BAM! he is, no it requires commitment, sacrifice, and years and years of training to achieve that goal. Our life’s goal is just like that and in the end it is an impossible task: becoming like Jesus Christ. But with God’s help and a lot of personal sacrifice we can do our best, which is all that is required of us, to do and become our best. "Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." - Matthew 5:48