Spiritual Gophers

Gophers are varmints!  They dig elaborate tunnels under crops and fields, eating the roots of whatever plant is growing above.  You cannot always see them but you know they are there by the trail of destruction they leave above ground.  In fact, from my understanding, they spend most of their lives gnawing away at the labors of man.

Contained within Luke 8 is the parable of the Sower and the Seed.  The seed which fell on good ground produced an abundance...in fact the Bible says a hundredfold.  Living in corn and sorghum growing country, a hundredfold may not seem like much when you think how many "seeds" are on one head of corn, but without reproduction a cob would be bare.  Multiplication is contingent on the richness of the soil in which a seed is sown.  In fact, in this story, the condition of the ground is THE most important ingredient to receiving a good harvest. 

So, where do the gophers come in?  An interesting fact about gophers is that they like to burrow in easily worked soil even though they possess long claws for digging.  They are particularly fond of legumes and pose the biggest threat to farmers who grow such crops.  Well worked soil, loose and rich was the soil which produced the greatest harvest according to Luke's Gospel.  But in this parable, we know the soil was free of varmints. 

Spiritual gophers can invade the good soil in which we have planted our seed.  Luke 8:15 says this..."But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep [it], and bring forth fruit with patience."  I like this phrase, "keep it".  It is a picture of one who guards the precious seed planted and guards the soil of their heart so that they will bear fruit in season. 


According to soil experts, the key to a successful program is to regularly monitor and detect gophers invading an area.  It is like that with our hearts.  When we hear the word God gives us and hold fast to that word, constantly reminding ourselves OF that WORD, then we have set up a program to monitor any potential attack as we through patience produce a crop.

Test the soil of the heart to see if there is something which has circumvented His Word and if there is, ferret it out and set a guard in place.  The heart must remain tender soil to receive good seed.