4 Chairs ~ 4 Fruits ~ 4 Soils

When was the last time you were stuck? A math problem. A work projects. A crossword puzzle; An overheated engine; A frozen computer screen; A toxic relationship; A financial crisis; …

We’ve seen the stories of 9/11 survivors trapped in the rubble of the crumbling Twin Towers, or thousands of people in impoverished Haiti buried under the crumpled, twisted concrete and steel following the earthquake that rocked Port Au Prince, or the 33 Chilean miners stuck deep beneath the surface of the earth awaiting their rescue that would come 69 agonizing days later, or Baby Jessica from Odessa, Texas trapped for three days after falling into a collapsing well.

While our experiences of being stuck are probably not as literal as any of these stories stolen from the headlines, they are no less real. There are those times we feel powerless, trapped, hopeless, or deterred. Being stuck, regardless of whether you got yourself into the situation or someone else put you there, is incredibly frustrating and discouraging.

Jesus uses two different illustrations to help us understand where we might get stuck in our disciple-making journey and how we can move past those sticking points.

Read John 15:1-8.

No Fruit. Fruit. More Fruit. Much Fruit.

Read Matthew 13:18-23.

Hard Path. Rocky Soil. Thorny Soil. Good Soil.

God’s desire is that our spiritual lives be good soil that produces a strong crop, yielding one hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. His desire is that our lives multiply disciples who make disciples.

We all get stuck. The ultimate sticking point is sin. Isn’t this the agonizing truth the Apostle Paul speaks of in Romans 7:19 when he says, “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing.” Thankfully, by God’s grace, we can be free, “because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life sets us free from the law of sin and death.”