In Jesus’ parable of the sower, the seed landed on four types of ground, producing four different results. ‘The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted’ (vv.15-20 NLT). The seed of God’s Word can’t fail. The Bible tells us that ‘it always produces fruit’ (Isaiah 55:11 NLT). So if God’s promises aren’t being fulfilled in our lives, we need to ask ourselves, ‘What kind of soil am I?’ Are we a surface person – thin-skinned and easily offended? A shallow person with no spiritual root system? Are we thorny ground? Are ‘the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things’ choking the spiritual life out of us? Or are we rich, fertile ground that produces results? Let’s check the soil of our heart.

What Now?

Read back through Mark 4:1-20. Then take some time to check the soil of your heart and ask God to help you have a heart that’s open to Him.