Be Good Ground
Matthew 13:3-9
Then Jesus spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
We see here there’s a sower and this sower sows seed. Some seed falls to the wayside. It becomes food for the birds. Have you ever heard the saying “food for the birds?” It means it’s dead. It’s useless. It’s gone before it accomplished anything. Some seed falls on stony places. It has enough soil to sprout, but the ground has no depth so it can’t get rooted and ends up scorched by the sun, again producing no fruit. Some seed falls among thorns. The thorns were stronger and they choked any growth that was there. But, some seed falls on good ground. Good ground yields a crop, some much more abundant than others.
In this parable, the seed is the Word of God, the truth of the Bible. The soils in these scriptures are the different states of the human heart. The lesson in this parable is, that however faithful the pastor, and however truthful the message, the effect of the Word depends on the hearer’s heart. The Word is alive and powerful. When someone reads the Word and hears the Word, the Holy Spirit deals with their hearts and emphasizes what they need to hear, but if we won’t hear, heed, or follow what the Holy Spirit shows us through His Word, we’ll never produce fruit. This is why Jesus said, “he who has an ear, let him hear.”
We see in this parable that only 1/4 of Christians actually walk in the blessing and plan God has for them. Too many Christians are letting the Word of God go in one ear and out the other, as if it’s not their direction from God Himself. Too many Christians are letting the cares of this world and the distractions of daily life keep them from obeying God at His Word. Too many Christians are getting excited for the things of God, only until the trial comes and then they’ll quit. But see, seed that falls on good ground has crop that not only springs up, but it increases and produces.
You must determine what ground you will be. Mark 4:14 tells us that, “the sower sows the word.” If you’re not around a sower, that is a true Bible teaching minister, you’re not getting the seed sown into your life the way God intended. Let it be planted in you by the pastor God put into your life to feed you and teach you. Get where you can hear. Then, I encourage you to not only be good ground for your pastor, but also delve into the Word of God on your own. Get it in you, so in you, that it’s not easily burned up, not easily devoured, and not easily choked out. Amen?!
Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée
