Recently, I was reminded of a summer spent in Inglis, Manitoba, "The Barley Capital of the World," as I had been told. While there I was given an eye opening opportunity. I was able to go and spend time on the tractor in the tilling and seeding process. Normally, I only see the finished product that we purchase at our local grocer, but to see the amount of time and effort that goes into making sure the soil is right and how hard the farmers work to get that good soil to grow crops is amazing. Rocks, thorns, and weeds have to be removed, and the soil has to be loosened so that the seeds can be planted and grown, and every year this same process is repeated.
Now I am no expert in farming, and I only speak about what I have seen and have been told, but what I do know is that the Bible often uses farming to show God's salva-tion. One of the most notable is from, Matthew 13 the Parable of the Sower and the seed. In this parable it talks about different types of soil, and what happens when the seed is sowed upon the path, the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil. The parable goes on to explain what it all means, but what I always found so very odd was the sower. I always thought it odd, because the sower was seemingly spreading the seed recklessly and without thought. It as if he did not care where it was going. Then I had a light bulb moment! If the seed is the gift of Salvation, the sower is Jesus Christ, and we are the soil, then what Jesus is doing is making salvation accessible to all soil types, to everyone. What an amazing thing God has done, He doesn't just offer His salvation for the good, but to every person, including a sinner like me!
