Hear The Word And Accept It

And Bear Fruit

And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for others things come in and chose the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundred-fold."

Mark 4:13-20

How do you take God’s word? How is it different from the way non-believers take God’s word? Sometimes when we read God’s Word, our minds are taken up with troubles, worries, and fears. The pressure of things to be done today and concerns about tomorrow’s decisions are like weeds which choke the Word and make it have little impact. To control the weeds, we must ask God to quiet our hearts so we can pay attention to Him. When we turn our worries over to God, we will be free to enjoy His presence and hear what He has to say.

To uproot the weeds of anxious care,

get down on your knees.

Our Daily Bread – June 23, 2004