Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Matthew 13:8
The good soil produced vastly different rates of return, 100, 60, 30. There’s a lot of difference between a return rate of 100 compared to 30. Even good soil sometimes yields a surprisingly small return. What makes the difference in the results? In the physical world, we would consider lack of rain, lack of warmth, and lack of nutrients. The seed is reliant not only on the farmer but also on nature to provide what it needs.
In the spiritual realm, this would equate to a lack of spiritual resources. Yet Peter tells us that God has provided everything we need. “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life” (2 Peter 2:3).
If we want to be those who produce a hundred times what was sown it’s not enough just to be good soil. We have to avail ourselves of all the resources God provides, through his word, prayer, fellowship and other spiritual disciplines. Jesus tells us that the seed falling on good soil refers not only to someone who hears the word, but acts on it (verse 23).
Sometimes we are disappointed that those who appear to have every advantage in the Christian life—Christian parents, Christian heritage, good church environment—aren’t the ones who have the most impact, or the ones who produce 100 times what was sown. Sometimes it’s those with the least advantages who are more serious about their faith and more committed to applying God’s word to their lives.
In God, we all have the opportunity to produce a hundred times what was sown.
