The Soil of the Good Heart
Luke 8:11-15, "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."
Jesus had spoken a parable that is most often labeled the "Parable of the Sower" (Luke 8:5-8). It is labeled as such because of the varying results occurring from the Word being sown. The seed is clearly identified as the Word of God. The varying results are described in today's passage. The Word of God is described in Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Our focus should be on the soil of our heart, because in every circumstance, the same Word is sown but the result depends on the condition of the heart.
With the first group, the Word is sown, but is snatched away out of their hearts by the devil, these never come to faith in Christ. The next group consists of those who joyfully receive the Word, but because they have no root, in time of testing or proving, they fall away from a faithful lifestyle. The third group is one that allows life to get in the way of spiritual growth. The Word of God is choked by the cares or anxieties of this life, by a focus upon riches, or an allurement to pleasures. They do not have the level of fruit bearing that otherwise would have come to fruition had they not allowed cares, riches, and pleasures to side track them. The last and final group has the kind of soil necessary to bring forth fruit. Their heart remains fixed upon the Word of God, they obey the Word, they keep the Word, and bring forth fruit with patience.
The "Matthew Henry Concise Commentary" states: "There are many very needful and excellent rules and cautions for hearing the word, in the parable of the sower, and the application of it. Happy are we, and for ever indebted to free grace, if the same thing that is a parable to others, with which they are only amused, is a plain truth to us, by which we are taught and governed. We ought to take heed of the things that will hinder our profiting by the word we hear; to take heed lest we hear carelessly and slightly, lest we entertain prejudices against the word we hear; and to take heed to our spirits after we have heard the word, lest we lose what we have gained. The gifts we have, will be continued to us or not, as we use them for the glory of God, and the good of our brethren. Nor is it enough not to hold the truth in unrighteousness; we should desire to hold forth the word of life, and to shine, giving light to all around. Great encouragement is given to those who prove themselves faithful hearers of the word, by being doers of the work. Christ owns them as his relations." May we be careful to maintain the kind of soil in our heart that allows the living and powerful Word of God to bring forth fruit unto the glory of God.
Have a great day walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Your Friend and HIS,
Pastor Abbott
MEDITATIONS
1. How does the Bible explain the same spoken word has differing results in people?
2. Would you describe yourself as one whose life brings forth fruit or not so much? What is the reason for the level of fruit produced in your life?
3. For your own benefit, why not determine the type of soil that best reflects your heart and determine what you can do to improve.