And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
Mark 4:20 (KJV)
Have you ever wondered why it is that some people seem to be “super-Christians,” leaving you feeling like they have something you don’t? It’s almost as if these “faith-superstars” were born as prodigies; their faith and relationship with God seem effortless and the supernatural results of their lives seem unattainable to the rest of us mere mortals.
Or do you find yourself thinking this way when you read about the faith heroes of the Bible, such as Abraham, Gideon, David, and Paul? Does God sovereignly bless some people with a supernatural level of faith and relationship with Him, while the rest of us are spectators left to struggle with the Christian life?
The truth is, every single person has the same opportunity to believe God and grow in their walk with the Lord, but not every person places the same amount of importance on it. In other words, those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” are the ones who are filled. This really is the difference between people who participate in and regularly experience the supernatural power of God working on their behalf and those who are mere spectators! I don’t want to be a spectator. I want to be a contestant, running strong and hard in the race of faith!
In Mark 4, Jesus uses a farming illustration to make this very point. As you read the account, you may be surprised to find that that 75% of the seed sown into the earth didn’t produce anything but was completely wasted. What a return on investment!! The only seed that produced a viable crop was the seed that fell on soft, fertile soil.
Jesus described the illustration as an allegory of how the Word of God is sown into men’s hearts and what causes people to rise up and grow into fruitful, abundant sources of life. The whole key lies in the fertility of the soil, not the potency of the seed. The seed of God’s Word contains all the power and DNA of heaven and will produce when placed into a nurturing, fertile, and ready environment.
You Can Control Your Soil
Friend, you can control the fertility of the soil of your heart.
You and I can do things to prepare our heart to seek the Lord and to grow up spiritually. Our spiritual state isn’t fixed, but can be changed. Thank God!!
If you don’t like where you are at, I have good news for you! You can do something today to soften your heart to the things of God and receive the seed of His Word that changes you from the inside out!
Along these same lines, notice what the writer of Hebrews said when he scathingly called out certain believers–that they “are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat,” (Hebrews 5:12, KJV). They became spiritually dull; they weren’t born that way. These believers had allowed their spiritual maturity to slip from their priority lists and it had become obvious that they needed to stir themselves up and back into the game. The seed that had once produced a harvest in their life had suddenly fallen upon hearts that had slowly and methodically grown hard, cold, and unreceptive to the deeper things that God wanted to do in their lives.
A soft, fertile heart that is ready to receive the seed of God’s Word is a trusting heart. A soft and fertile heart is a heart that is ready to throw aside preconceived notions or prejudices when the light of God’s Word shines on mindsets and belief systems that are not in line with the Word of God. A heart that is ready to receive the Word of God is a confident, steady and happy heart, knowing that God is good and He will always be faithful to His Promises.
Friend, God wants to do more good things in your life than you could ever imagine. He wants to change you, first and foremost, from the inside out.
Are you ready to finally say yes to Jesus? There’s no good reason to wait any longer. Are you ready to soften your heart to His work on the cross and receive the gift of eternal life–direct relationship to the Father through Jesus? Give your life to Jesus today! Click here to see how.
Here’s one question to ask yourself today:
What is one thing you can do today to prepare your heart to receive the seed of God’s Word today so that you can become a fruitful, abundant tree of life?
Be encouraged! And keep your heart soft and receptive to the Word of God.
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Photo by Nikola Jovanovic on Unsplash