April 15-19

And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. – Mark 4:15 ESV

The Seed and the Soil: The Hard Heart
Ross Cochrane writes, Each week I give a devotion in the dining areas of the Shalom Centre and Margaret (not her real name) is there, with ears which will not hear. Her heart is a fortress, cold, hard, defensive. The gates are huge, old, and impenetrable, bolted with fear and pride that slide across into their iron brackets at the mention of Christ. She sits in a dungeon of her own making, alone, critical of the world, of God, of life. This morning as I approached her to say "Good morning", she waved me off, saying "Go away! I don't want anything to do with you! I don't believe in that religious nonsense! Go away! I don't want to talk to you!" I retreat from her and give her the distance she demands. So does God.

Jesus speaks of Margaret when He describes the hard soil, defensive, closed, and bitter towards God. Often birds would follow a farmer and quickly grab the seeds that fell on hard ground. Daniel Akin explains "They are ultimately bird food! Their hearing is superficial and resistant. They are totally unresponsive. They suffer from “gospel deafness.” Like skeptics, they quickly dismiss the Word without giving it careful consideration.

Reflection
Remember this is a parable and it does not state that the soil cannot be altered by plowing. Many of us were "hard soil" until God got our attention and plowed our hearts. How did God soften your heart?

Praise/Prayer
Thank God for softening your heart to receive His Word. James 1:21 says, “Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Ask God to keep your heart tender and receptive to His Word. Pray God would soften the hard hearts of people in your life who need it.

And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.  – Mark 4:16-17 ESV

The Seed and the Soil: The Shallow Heart
The terrain of Palestine where Jesus tells this parable is very rocky and hard. There are many places that look great for planting crops, but lurking just beneath the surface are large boulders and rocks that inhibit roots from going deep into the soil for nourishment, strength, and water. For a farmer to plant seed on this type of soil is futility. This is what Jesus was saying about the word of God. (Eric Lenhart)

The characteristics of a shallow heart are: 1) They hear the Word; 2) Immediately receive it with joy; 3) No roots or depth; 4) They endure for a while; 5) Tribulation or persecution comes and immediately they fall away. These people are here today and gone tomorrow. John Phillips comments that "High-pressure evangelism often produces this kind of shallow "conversion." These professions of faith are unsubstantial and worthless. People who respond to the gospel on this level have awakened souls, but they are not saved.

Reflection
When have you seen this quick response to the Gospel? What is the church's responsibility with these types of people?

Praise/Prayer
Ask God to forgive you for the times you have made shallow responses to His Word. Ask God to help you not fold under the slightest pressure of life but to remain firmly planted in Christ.

And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. – Mark 4:18-19 ESV

The Seed and the Soil: The Crowded Heart
In the Pixar film UP, Dug the dog is a lovable character. He is an eager-to-please dog, but Dug’s weakness is his distractibility anytime he thinks he sees or hears a squirrel. Every time, Dug sees a squirrel he loses focus and thinks “Squirrel.”

The person in Mark 4:18-19 with a crowded heart is easily distracted in their relationship with God. This soil is so full of the weeds of distractions that the seed never grows. This person hears and receives the Word better than the first two soil examples, However, they eventually get distracted by 1) worry, 2) wealth, and 3) lust for other things. Theirs is a partial commitment which is no commitment because they are listening to too many voices and have their eyes on
too many things. Haddon Robinson said, “Money has a way of binding us to what is physical and temporal, and blinding us to what is spiritual and eternal.”

Reflection
What are some of the most common “squirrels” that tempt you to lose focus on God or to forget what God has said to you?

Praise/Prayer
Praise God for promising a peace that passes understanding no matter what is going on in your life. Ask God to show you anything that has become an unnecessary distraction in your life and that is crowding your faith.

But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” – Mark 4:20 ESV

The Seed and the Soil: The Receptive Heart
A Roman Catholic priest in Belgium rebuked a young woman and her brother for reading that “bad book” pointing to the Bible. “Mr. Priest,” she replied, “a little while ago my brother was an idler, a gambler, a drunkard, and made such a noise in the house that no one could stay in it. Since he began to read the Bible, he works with industry, goes no longer to the tavern, no longer touches cards, brings home money to his poor old mother, and our life at home is quiet and delightful. How comes it, Mr. Priest, that a bad book produces such good fruits?”
(Feathers for Arrows, Charles Spurgeon)

Jesus taught that a receptive heart produces good fruit. The soil of this heart hears the Word of God, accepts the Word of God, and then bears fruit from the Word of God. Trials and persecutions don’t deter them. The worries of this life don’t distract them. They aggressively pursue the Word, allow it to take
root, and then rejoice in its abundant growth. And note, it will grow. A fruitless
Christian is an oxymoron.

Reflection
What are some of the fruits you have seen in your life in direct connection to your willingness to receive God’s Word?

Praise/Prayer
Praise God for the transforming power of His Word. Ask God to multiply the fruitfulness of His Word in your heart 100 times.

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” – Mark 4:26-29 ESV

The Gospel is Like a Seed that Grows
In the movie Gladiator, Maximus, though he is at first a general and then later a gladiator, at heart he is a farmer. And so, throughout the movie— usually before a battle—he kneels down, grabs a handful of dirt, smells it, tastes it, and then throws it into the air. What he is doing is seeing if the soil is good for growing crops. There is something very intimate about that action. Usually, if you find yourself around someone who gardens a lot, they have an intimate familiarity with their plants’ needs, quirks, and so on. It’s like that with us and God. There is an intimate relationship that develops over time between us and our heavenly Father. (Source Unknown)

Ultimately, God brings growth to good soil. We must sow the seed of the gospel
so that others might hear and respond. The responses will vary, they will be different from one person to another. However, that is not our concern. Our assignment is to sow and sow generously! God is responsible for the harvest.

Reflection
Is your heart good soil? How have you sensed the intimacy of God as the seed of the gospel has grown in your heart?

Praise/Prayer
Praise God for the beautiful harvest He has brought into your life. Ask God to keep the soil of your heart fertile.