“Whoever Has Ears, Let Them Hear”

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Matthew 13:1-9

The Lord Jesus used an illustration in which He compared different types of ground to a person’s response to God’s Word. Some seeds were eaten by the birds, others started to grow but were choked by the weeds, and others started to grow but had no soil to further their growth. But the seeds that fell on the good soil yielded a good crop – sometimes a hundred times more than there was in the beginning.

Each of us needs to ask what kind of soil we are. Are we the rocky soil? Are there a lot of rocks? Are we flat so roots can go deep and get water? The Lord wants to plant His Word in our hearts so we can grow in our knowledge of Him.

The fruit of the Spirit grows in the soil of obedience.

Our Daily Bread – October 14, 2013