It is no fun when things do not work out well.
It is worse when one knows that the reason is the intentional efforts of someone.
Sowing good seed (the Good News teachings of Jesus) in the world is hard enough.
It seems human nature that hurtful gossip is spread much more quickly and effectively than the life affirming Gospel.
It is tough when a person, group or society hopes to see the fruits of their labor come to fruition, only to see the effort dismantled because what has been sown by others who live on fear, hatred, greed, lust for power, hubris and self-centeredness is choking out what was sown in love, grace, generosity, kindness, compassion and selfless humility. The hurtful, intentional destruction of others' lives comes from the evil one.
So, one can become like the evil sower and start a campaign of evil retaliation, fighting fire with fire, hatred with hatred and hubris with hubris. But hatred does not kill hatred. It adds to it. Only love counters hatred. Perhaps we were sowing some Good News seed, but not sharing out of love. Perhaps we were caught up in the message itself and not the living of it and putting its value into the lives of those around us enough. Perhaps we had a great, packaged thing but we did not LIVE it with others, so the evil sower got a foothold with some bad seed.
Ripping up the ones who bear bad fruit does not solve anything.
It only turns what was once Good News into destructive divisiveness.
Spreading more Good News seed and LIVING it's message is the answer.
It was not enough to have a good message and not live it, so living it is the key.
Putting the Agape Love of the Gospel out in the world around us affects the world around us.
It gives the ones who have the potential to be good fruit from Good News seed an example for how to live in the world.
In the end, it is God who will harvest. Our job is not that, but only the LIVING of Good News.
Put more Agape Love, Grace, Peace and Justice out there. THAT is the command of Jesus.
The evil sower will still sow, and bad seed will still grow... but many will come to bear good fruit in the face of them.
Clearly any efforts at planting Good News seed have been lost on our Government currently, in our churches for the past 35 years and on Wall Street. The Unholy Trinity of Greed, Power and Self-Indulgence have been planted alongside any Good News seed of Agape Love, Grace and Humility. Right now the field looks mostly like the fruit of the bad seed. But it is not yet the harvest. LIVING the Good News of Jesus in the world is our only task, and it is enough. Jesus will harvest in the end.
So, in the end...
Will I be Good News seed that is lived in the world and grows to bear Good News fruit, or will I let my anger over the evil sower and the bad seed turn me into bad seed that bears no good fruit?
Becoming the bad seed of the evil sower does not help me bear Good News Fruit.
What will YOU bear in the world around you?
Pastor Jamie
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