Jesus told a lot of stories. Here’s one of my favorites:
A farmer went out to sow his seed.
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on and the birds ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.
(Luke 8:5-8)
After Jesus told this story, the disciples did what I would have done. They asked (basically), “Uhhhhhh, what exactly does that mean?” Jesus’ response hits me in the soul every time:
The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
The seed that fell among the thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
(Luke 8:11-15)
God plants his Word in us. But whether we’re fruitful or not depends on the state of our hearts. Life’s worries, riches and pleasures can literally choke us.
Here’s a little memory device you can use to help keep your heart in the right place:
Don’t let the world
WRAP you up.
Ask God to protect you from life’s Worries, Riches And Pleasures. Ask Him to fill your heart with His Word every moment of every day so that you can persevere through life’s troubles and produce a bountiful harvest.
Discussion