Although I have the hope of Christ that allows me to see a future where all things will flourish, I am not naive to the reality that this world sucks sometimes. Broken promises. Food deserts. Inequalities. Weeds. Natural disasters. Fatherless homes. Death. Suicides. Hatred. Selfishness. Economic gap spreads. Caste systems. Sex slavery.
I could go on, but I'll spare you. I pray the Lord quickens His coming, but I trust that He knows what is best for His kingdom. He alone waters the soil; he alone prepares the soil; he alone causes the earth to spring forth life. We are simply called to spread the message (or the seed).
"Be fruitful and multiply. Subdue the earth." This is one of the first commands the Lord tells man. Literally meaning: "Make babies and take care of the earth that I created." However, I also love thinking of it in terms of "kingdom growth."
God has put specific people in our lives at very specific times. It is up to us to make the most of that time to spread His good news of great joy. As we spread His truth, some of it falls on "hardened soil," some falls on the "rocky soil," some lands in the "thistles and weeds," and some falls on the "rich soil." It the Lord who prepares their soil (aka their hearts); it is the Lord who waters the seed and makes it grow into fruit. However, that does not remove our responsibility to make sure that we spread the seeds where the Lord has placed us.
As far as subduing the earth: we are called to take care of the earth. Literally, we need to be good stewards of the earth through supporting local farmers and organic farming and thinking about the environment as the Lord's. Figuratively, we need to take care of the people in the area of the world that the Lord has placed us to tend to their soil and make sure their is plenty nutrient-rich soil for them to grow fruit.
He is the Vine and we are His branches. May we bare good fruit.
Love you all!
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