Check Your Soil

Luke 8:9-15

“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 of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among the 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.” When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus goes on to reveal the meaning of 4 Parables of the 4 Soils

The seed is the word of God.

1. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so they may not believe and be saved.
2. Those on the rock receive the word with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a while but in the time of testing, they fall away.
3. The seed among the thorns stands for those who hear but go on their way, choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures. They do not mature.
4. The seed on the good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and produce a crop because they understand.

Jesus goes on to issue a warning: “consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.

Applying the word of God to our lives is what causes us to grow. How can you grow in Christ if you don’t know the word of God? The Bible warns against having a form of godliness. There are a lot of people who think they’re good soil, but their fruit or complete lack thereof speaks otherwise.

I hope this parable reminds you as it did me to evaluate the condition of your heart, and your faithfulness to reading and receiving God’s word. I urge you to take an offensive/proactive approach to learning God’s word. Refuse to let it fall away. Refuse to let the cares of life drag you away from what God wants you to know about Him. He wants to make known to you the path of life and fill you with joy in his presence. Let God’s word get down on the inside of you. Meditate on it. Put it up in places so you’ll see it every day as you’re living life. Make God’s word the center of your life. Believe it. Declare it. Remember it.

God’s got crops that need to be raised up and harvested through you, IF you’ll put him and his words first in your life.