The Soil of My Soul

“The mysterious hand of the divine Spirit dropped the living seed into a heart that He had Himself prepared for its reception.”– C.H. Spurgeon

Have you ever seen a plant growing from a crack in a wall, pavement, or rock? It really is the weirdest thing. I mean, what are the odds?

You or I can diligently and painstakingly prepare the soil, plant a seed, water and fertilize it, but guess what? Sometimes it just doesn’t sprout. For instance, Deanna has been trying her best to grow a beautiful green lawn in our front yard ever since we moved into our new house 15 months ago. However, despite all her hard work – and some very expensive grass seed – a few bare spots still remain.

But just let a stray seed land in a rain gutter or downspout and POOF! Out pops a perfectly healthy plant that soon begins to blossom and bloom.

Sometimes it seems like the Holy Spirit works the same way.

From the time I was born until I turned 16, I attended church every Sunday. And yet, despite all those spiritual seeds being planted, none of them took root in my heart and certainly no fruit was produced whatsoever. Then, one Sunday afternoon, my brother shared the gospel with me and all of a sudden, it made sense. I guess you could say that the “soil of my soul” was finally prepared to receive the seed of the gospel.

The moral of the story is that salvation is initiated and completed by God (see Romans 12:2). In our fallen state, we are simply incapable of contributing to our own spiritual regeneration.

“As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” Romans 3:10-12 (NKJV)

“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President