WHY THE SEED OFTEN FAILS TO BRING A HARVEST.
By Chas. T. Everson
In the parable of the sower, Jesus shows that the reason that some seed failed to produce a harvest was because it was sown on unfavorable soil or destroyed by unfavorable conditions. In the case of the stony ground, the soil was poor, and the seed died as a natural consequence. The seed sown by the wayside produced no harvest, as the soil was given no opportunity to act upon it. The seed that sprang up among thorns no doubt had good soil in which to thrive, but surrounding influences destroyed it. It therefore follows that a seed sown in good soil but surrounded by evil influence, is not any more capable of producing a good harvest than a seed sown in a poor soil under favorable circumstances. To have a good harvest, one must have good soil and favorable surroundings. “The seed sown in stony ground naturally dies, and consequently the individual is not responsible,” may be the thought that presents itself to some one's mind. Yes, but the sower who expects to reap a good harvest takes care to remove the stones before he sows, and God has promised to put a heart of flesh in the place of the heart of stone. “As my surroundings are unfavorable, I can not produce a good harvest,” may be the objection of another. The surroundings that count against producing a good harvest are not the outward surroundings that you are contemplating, but they are the conditions that come from the thorns that are sown in the heart. Job's outward conditions became the most unfavorable imaginable, and yet he could stand firm for God. Paul says that “tho the outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” And this inward condition that crowds out the good seed, God will provide against, if it is desired, for He says that He will create a clean heart for the individual, free from the thorns of sin. But the good soil may fail to produce a harvest under favorable conditions if the wrong kind of seed is sown in it. The seed may be ever so good and full of life, but it will not thrive in every soil. Some soil that has lain for years and been considered worthless suddenly becomes valuable because the seed that is capable of growing in it has at last been sown there. The Bible has been written by men of all the walks of life and of a diversity of gifts, that it might meet the demands of all the people, as they are brought up under such different conditions and have such varied mental capacities. The part of God's Word that will interest one and lead him to seek God, may not appeal to another at all. God recognizes this in the fact of His giving the entire Bible. Otherwise He might have given only a few verses, or at most one of the Gospels, but He has given the entire Bible, that there may be a seed to fit every soil. The reason that we fail to produce a harvest in the soil in which we are sowing may be because we are using the wrong kind of seed. In the southern part of California various attempts have been made to grow bananas, but they have always proved unsuccessful, for the soil and conditions are not such as will produce them, but yet the same soil will produce oranges abundantly. Perhaps in the field in which we are laboring we are attempting to sow a seed that will not grow in that soil, and therefore we are failing. One gentleman once stated to me that prophecy appealed to many people, but not to him. So there is one truth that will appeal to one hearer, and another to another hearer. Therefore God says, “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand; for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.” We should not therefore be discouraged in our sowing, but if one seed fails, try another; for the harvest is sure if we persevere; for the Lord says, “And let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Gal. 6:9). The following incident will serve to show how soil that looked apparently hopeless, brought forth a good harvest:— There was a little tract inserted in the envelope with the letter sent to a man noted for his impiety and ungodly life. It was entitled, “Prepare to Meet Thy God.” “What's that?” said he as he opened the letter. “Prepare to meet thy God. Who has had the impudence to send this tract?” And with an angry exclamation he was about to put it into the fire, when he said, “No, I won't do that; I'll send it to my friend B., and it will be a good joke to hear what he'll say about it.” So saying, he put it into a fresh envelope and sent it off. Mr. B. was a man of his own stamp, and received the tract as his friend had done, with an oath at the humbug; and his first impulse was to tear it to pieces. “No, I'll not tear it either,” said he to himself. “Prepare to meet thy God” at once attracted his attention and smote his conscience. The arrow of conviction entered his heart as he read, and he became converted. Almost his first thought was for his ungodly associates. “Have I received such blessed light and truth, and shall I not strive to communicate it to others?” He again folded the tract and sent it to one of his companions, who also read it and became converted. They are both now rejoicing in the peace that comes in being God's children. When we think of the passage that “whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap,” we are apt to look at it only from the standpoint that the evil a man sows that shall he reap. But it is just as true that the good a man sows that shall he also reap. When the farmer sows his seed he expects to reap many fold more than he sows; and this is also true in spiritual sowing. The evil seed sown brings a harvest many fold larger than the seed sown, as the influence of it spreads in every direction. But this is also true of the good seed sown. It spreads far and wide, and eternity only will reveal the good accomplished by a good seed. We bring the truth to one, and immediately he sets about to give it to his friends and neighbors, and then it goes and keeps increasing the farther it travels. Therefore, how careful we should be that we are not sowing bad seed, which will spread like wild-fire! But good seed we can afford to sow bountifully, for then we shall also reap bountifully.