Keep Rubbing It

A couple of years ago I traveled to NW Louisiana to the home of a part-time black postal employee with a stunning blue 1997 Honda Goldwing (over which I planned to haggle).

Everything on the bike glistened. You could comb your hair using the chrome, and the blue paint sparkled. And yes, I fell victim to the bling. After an intense negotiation, his shiny bike netted him sixty-five $100 bills and me a Bill of Sale. 

Then I asked him how he KEPT EVERYTHING shiny and glistening. "I rub it. Then I rub it some more. And then I just keep rubbing it," he said with a big appreciative smile.

All smiles after the 10,000th Mile, May 9, 2011

Today, I was removing a myriad of bugs and a layer of grime from another motorcycle, my 2007 VTX1300 (above). I kept hearing my black friend say, "Rub it, and keep rubbing it." You know, now I can almost comb my locks with the shine on the chrome breather. His idea really works.

Rubbing is such a simple thing. It may be aided with chemicals to remove bugs, or polishes to increase shine, but it is the rubbing motion -- the 'wax on, wax off' -- this is the key.

And so it is with almost anything we do, especially for Jesus. The more we do simple, good things, the better we get, and the 'shinier' it is to God. 

Here our natural abilities can be used. Some of us can cook meals, while others can clean homes, mow lawns, cut logs after storms, etc. The more we do, the better we get at giving God the glory.

In the south, it is 'neighborly' to do good things. So Christians must do something extra to give God the glory. We must SAY something to our friends, and others we help, so they will be able to tell the difference.

Whatever your God-given ability is, "Rub it. Then rub it some more. And then just keep rubbing it."

Good Soil

When Jesus begins discussing the fourth soil, he does things differently.

Instead of explaining the condition of the soil, he just used a few basic terms and was done. The first he described as 'wayside' soil, giving listeners an image of a beaten-down, hard-packed, unchangeable and unproductive soil. In the second, the 'stoney-ground' soil, the mental picture was one of ground with rocks everywhere, too shallow to grow anything of value. The third soil, 'thorny' soil, brought the visual of ground full of dandelions, thistles, briers, and Johnson grass. This dirt is too busy with growing unusable things that it will not (implying choice) produce suitable fruit.

The fourth kind of soil is called 'good' in the NKJV. The Greek word is more rich in meaning -- "beautiful, excellent, surpassing, USEFUL, excellent in nature and characteristics". In one word Jesus set the standard for all 'soils'.

What is different in this soil? First it is pliable, that is manageable and responsive. It is not hardened and packed by sin. Second, it has depth. It has the characteristic of being sufficiently deep enough to support obedience and endurance (choice implied). Third, it it rich and cleared. It is fertile enough soil to support something besides sand burrs. It does not have conflicting interests. 

When this 'soil' hears the message, it takes it upon itself to use it to a constructive, effective, and practical end. This is pictured as other plants like itself.

This 'end' is quantified as 30 times, 60 times, or 100 times greater than the single seed that entered the soil. The soil causes the production of many new plants.

What is the product of this excellent soil? Jesus does not exactly say. His point is NOT about the product, but the soil.

Please, consider these questions.

1. What are the qualities that makes a person good 'soil'?

2. Where do these effective qualities originate?

3. Can these qualities be improved? Increased?

4. How do we remove the inappropriate qualities and add the effective ones?

Please answer in the comments, or rate the blog.