Odd Illistration..

“Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.” Hebrews 6:7-8


Okay on the surface this is a great proverb type, but when you read this verse in the context of where it is written, it’s like a...“huh?” I mean, this proverb that pops up in the middle of two ideas that are vastly different. Maybe during this time the writer of Hebrews took a break and when he/she came back it was an “a-ah” moment. But in between the idea of disgracing God (vrs 4-5) and serving with diligence (vrs 9-12) where does this fit in? You could basically pull these verses out and have a seamless transition, but some reason, God wants us to read them. Maybe they key is in the phrase “land that drinks in the rain....”

So what does this mean to me? Land that drinks in the rain implies to me that it is a place where there is constant growth. A place where things are have the ability to be fruitful and grow. But here the warning seems to be to the audience, “Hey if you are in the land of the fruitful, be fruitful.” For here they writer is saying, if you are in the word, and it is taking hold in your heart, and you are around good brothers and sisters who are strong in their faith, shouldn’t it be that you are growing? The answer is yes. If not; then why not? But how often I do that, I may go to church, be around great spiritual men and women, but sometimes I am producing nothing but thorns and thistles. And what does it take to produce fruit for God, the idea of not to disgrace God, and to have diligence in your walk. There fore these verses fit perfectly into the Christian idea of the Christian life.

Lord help me to take these words to heart and to listen to the warning.