God’s Good Soil

Bible Reading

Luke 8
1 Corinthians 9

Devotional Thoughts

This morning’s reading includes Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seeds. We all know the parable and Jesus explanation. The seed is the word of God. (Luke 8:11) The soil is the heart of man. Some hearts produce abundant fruit, and some, the fruit is choked out by the weeds (the cares of this world).

The topic of fruit has come up a couple times in the last few days. In Luke 6 we saw that the fruit from our lives reveals what our treasure is. Matthew 6:21 says, “Where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” Here in Luke 8 Jesus is talking about the fruit of righteousness, the fruit God’s Words should produce in our lives. Interesting to see the characteristics of the good soil (the fruitful heart) in Luke 8:15.

1. They hear God’s Word. They are free from distractions.
2. They hold on to God’s word. God’s Word is their treasure!
3. Their hearts are honest and good. (Luke 6:45 a “good” heart is a heart that has treasured, stored up good)
4. They produce the kind of fruit that God is looking for.

As I meditate on this passage, thinking about these new missionaries we are working with, I am asking myself, what is going to hinder them, or keep them from producing the kind of fruit God is looking for? Even as God’s instruments, His Word can be choked out by other “treasures.” I think each of our hearts can be hard, rocky, thorny, or good soil at different times. Each of us at different times can have hearts that are distracted. Something other than God’s Word and His image may be our treasure. There are times even when we are operating based on evil that we have allowed to settle into our hearts.

Each of us needs to guard our hearts. All of us as believers should desire to be the good ground Jesus describes here. But, if we are not diligent to guard our hearts, they can so easily become something other than the good soil Jesus describes. 1 Cor 9:27 is a great reminder, “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified.”

Declarations

1. I have the propensity for my heart to become hardened, and God’s Word not able to penetrate. At times my heart can be rocky and thorny, distracted by my desire for things other than God, choking God’s Word from producing fruit.
2. I need to be vigilant, knowing the enemy of my sole is roaming around seeking to get me to believe a lie. I need to be diligent to fill my heart with truth.
3. Today I choose to flee distractions. (God help me to recognize them). I choose you and your Word to be my treasure today. I will seek to store up good in my heart, and intentionally avoid allowing evil into my heart.