Have you ever heard something that you knew was true, but it still didn’t really change you?
Maybe it was a sermon, a conversation, or a verse? Perhaps a moment where God was clearly trying to get your attention? You understood it. Also, you may have even agreed with it. But a few days later, life kept moving, distractions crept back in, and nothing really took root.
That is what makes Jesus’ parable in Mark 4:1–20 so personal.
Jesus tells a story about a farmer scattering seed. Some seed falls on hard ground and some on rocky soil. At the same time, some falls among thorns, and some on good soil. Then He explains that the seed is the Word of God. And ultimately, the soils represent the condition of our hearts.
The seed is not the problem. Nor is the farmer the problem. The difference is the soil.
Some hearts are hard. God’s Word lands, but it never sinks in. Other hearts are shallow. They receive truth with excitement at first, but fade when life gets difficult. Further still, some hearts are crowded. Worry, success, money, distraction, and desire for other things slowly choke out what God is trying to grow.
But then there is good soil.
Good Soil
Good soil is the heart that hears God’s Word, receives it, holds onto it, and lets it produce fruit.
Jesus is showing us that hearing the Word is not the same as receiving it. We can sit under Truth, understand Truth, and even agree with Truth. However, it still doesn’t reshape us.
So maybe the real question is not, “Did I hear from God?”
Instead, the better question is, “What kind of heart did I bring?”
And here is the good news: soil can change. A hard heart can always soften. Shallow roots can surely grow deeper. We can pull out thorns. God is still sowing, still speaking, and still working in us.
Let’s pray this prayer this week: “Lord, help me receive Your Word with an open heart. Soften what is hard, deepen what is shallow, and remove anything that is choking out Your work in me. Make my heart good soil that bears lasting fruit. Amen.”
Breaking ground,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor