Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12 NKJV

Over the winter, one of our apple trees didn’t survive…it snapped off its dead roots when yanked out.

In a line-up of three fruit-bearing trees, this one had floundered since its planting five years ago. Its growth was stunted, its flowers were scant, and the apples it bore were puny. 

I’m not a very good horticulturalist, but my uneducated guess is that this tree succumbed to the crummy soil in that part of our yard. 

When we moved into our house more than a decade ago, grass smoothly covered the yard’s slope. But over time, rocks began to surface as the soil over them eroded. Thin orange clay in places has created a merciless environment that prevents growth…there’s no depth for roots to go deep.

It’s an apropos analogy to Christ’s parable about the sower and his seed. While our apple tree had already grown beyond a seedling when we planted it, the pitiful soil was too shallow for it to thrive. We had made a bad choice on location.

Look at the entire parable in Matthew 13. Jesus tells His listeners about the kingdom of God—He is the sower, and His words are the seeds. Only a few believers, however, will take His teaching to heart. The problem isn’t Jesus or His parables. It’s the readiness of the “soil” that affects the outcome.

In the four examples He lists, Jesus describes how His words are received. The first group is hardened soil where the seeds are snatched up—from people who immediately reject Jesus. The second group is more akin to our sad little apple tree. These folks receive our Lord’s wonderful news with joy. But they have no depth to their faith, and they wilt at the first signs of tribulation or persecution. 

The third set of individuals are those who let the cares of the world and material goods crowd out their opportunities to serve in His kingdom. Only the fourth soil—the ones who hear God’s words, understand them, and believe in them—are those who produce incredible amounts of fruit for His kingdom.

Jesus’ simple story continues to carry a powerful punch today, even for those of us who aren’t farmers. I’ve often seen myself in the third category of followers, wanting to be a fruitful disciple but letting my worries and creature comforts prevent me from being faithful. 

My experience with the apple tree, though, has given me a different perspective. What if I’m guilty of hanging out in all three camps of fruitless soil? 

Our yard has varying soil types. There’s the rocky part on the hillside where nothing sticks. Those are the days when I’m just not willing to do the hard work of surrendering to Jesus. My will stubbornly refuses to accept His commands. The next type, where our apple tree withered, represents my laziness and neglect. My study of His words doesn’t go very deep before I get distracted by a quick scroll through my email or the news. 

The third? That’s where blackberry bushes with wicked thorns once took over and smothered everything else out in that area. The same thing happens now when my worldly priorities suffocate my desire to please God.

Friend, it’s not easy to become that fourth fruity variety of dirt, even when you’re among those God has saved. Yes, He has called us to be His fruitful people. Yes, He enlightens us by His Holy Spirit to believe Him and follow Him. Yes, He is the author of the fruit we produce, and we can do nothing without His power. 

But to be truly fruitful, we must endure His preparation in our hearts. We have to sacrifice our pride, addictions, laziness, self-absorption, and worldly yearnings to His calling. We need to let Him cultivate our barren ground and break up the crusty spots.

Guess what? We have one very fertile spot in our yard…right next to the compost heap. In the container where we toss all our icky veggie scraps to rot, the dirt becomes beautifully rich. You could compare it to a place where we cast away our sinful bents for God to replace with spiritual growth.

Friend, when you and I face the stubbornness, laziness, trials, attacks, and burdens of our earthly lives this week, let’s take a moment to examine the soil of our hearts. Instead of shriveling in the pain and hopelessness of defeat, let’s seek strength and productivity in prayer to the One who provides fruitfulness. Let’s ask Him for His wisdom on how to cultivate a life of service to His kingdom with the resources He gives us.

I hope we’ll both find His abundant life in the process…overflowing with the riches of His grace and His beautiful fruit. 

Jesus, You are the One who sows Your grace and mercy into my life. Please help me surrender to You, turn my eyes upon You, and have You cultivate my heart-soil into a fruitful garden. Make me Your servant, and let me find my joy in pleasing You. In Your name, Amen.

Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her blogs are featured on Crossmap.com and AriseDaily. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at NancyCWilliams.com and subscribe at the bottom. 

© Copyright 2026 Nancy C. Williams (text and photography). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #Jesus #gardening #planting #appletrees #compost #soil #parable #fertileground