Day Sixteen: The Right Soil (Mark 4:1-20)
Devotional: Perhaps on the surface, planting seed doesn’t seem that complicated. Dig a hole. Plant the seed. Water it. And that’s it, right? Um, no. There’s more to it. More than we have time for. But one of the things that must go into consideration when planting seed is the soil that you plant it in. You can have good seed and be faithful in watering it, but if the soil is bad the crop will be bad.
That’s an important principle right there… if the soil is bad the crop will be bad and if the soil is good the crop will be good. Jesus says a number of times in a number of ways in the Gospels that what’s going on in the heart will reveal itself. It will bear fruit, good or bad.
In Matthew 12 Jesus says, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad" (v. 33). A few verses later He says, “The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil" (v. 35). It all comes down to how healthy the soil (heart) is.
So the soil represents the heart. What about the seed? It represents the Word of God. And Jesus gives four examples of the seed (Word of God) trying to get planted in soil (heart). The first three are bad examples and the fourth one is good. In example #1, the bird takes the seed before it gets planted. Jesus says this is when Satan prevents a person from really hearing and receiving the Word of God.
In example #2, the seed is planted on rocky ground and springs up initial but doesn’t ultimately produce a crop because there’s no depth of soil. Jesus says this is the person who at first receives the Word into his heart but doesn’t really develop deep roots, so when tough times come, he falls away. In example #3, the seed was planted among thorns and caused the crop to be choked. Jesus is saying that the person who loves this world more than God and His Word, will eventually have the good fruit choked out of his life.
But in example #4, the seed is planted in good soil, and it produces good and bountiful fruit. Jesus is saying that this person not only hears the Word but internalizes it into his heart and strives to live it out in his life. A person who embraces God’s Word like this is a person that will bear much kingdom fruit!
So how can we have a healthy heart? Be on guard for the attacks of Satan. Don’t let him draw you away from God’s Word through busyness or sin. When life gets tough, don’t run away from God and His Word, run to Him and His Word. Prioritize who and what matters by choosing Kingdom values over worldly values. Let’s take the time to cultivate a healthy “soil” so the “seed” can bear it’s good fruit in our lives.
Prayer: Write down all four examples on a piece of paper. Take a moment to pray and ask God to reveal areas of your life that would fit under each of the four. Cross out the things you wrote down in the first three examples and take time asking God to help remove those unhealthy things out of your life.
Devotional: Perhaps on the surface, planting seed doesn’t seem that complicated. Dig a hole. Plant the seed. Water it. And that’s it, right? Um, no. There’s more to it. More than we have time for. But one of the things that must go into consideration when planting seed is the soil that you plant it in. You can have good seed and be faithful in watering it, but if the soil is bad the crop will be bad.
That’s an important principle right there… if the soil is bad the crop will be bad and if the soil is good the crop will be good. Jesus says a number of times in a number of ways in the Gospels that what’s going on in the heart will reveal itself. It will bear fruit, good or bad.
In Matthew 12 Jesus says, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad" (v. 33). A few verses later He says, “The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil" (v. 35). It all comes down to how healthy the soil (heart) is.
So the soil represents the heart. What about the seed? It represents the Word of God. And Jesus gives four examples of the seed (Word of God) trying to get planted in soil (heart). The first three are bad examples and the fourth one is good. In example #1, the bird takes the seed before it gets planted. Jesus says this is when Satan prevents a person from really hearing and receiving the Word of God.
In example #2, the seed is planted on rocky ground and springs up initial but doesn’t ultimately produce a crop because there’s no depth of soil. Jesus says this is the person who at first receives the Word into his heart but doesn’t really develop deep roots, so when tough times come, he falls away. In example #3, the seed was planted among thorns and caused the crop to be choked. Jesus is saying that the person who loves this world more than God and His Word, will eventually have the good fruit choked out of his life.
But in example #4, the seed is planted in good soil, and it produces good and bountiful fruit. Jesus is saying that this person not only hears the Word but internalizes it into his heart and strives to live it out in his life. A person who embraces God’s Word like this is a person that will bear much kingdom fruit!
So how can we have a healthy heart? Be on guard for the attacks of Satan. Don’t let him draw you away from God’s Word through busyness or sin. When life gets tough, don’t run away from God and His Word, run to Him and His Word. Prioritize who and what matters by choosing Kingdom values over worldly values. Let’s take the time to cultivate a healthy “soil” so the “seed” can bear it’s good fruit in our lives.
Prayer: Write down all four examples on a piece of paper. Take a moment to pray and ask God to reveal areas of your life that would fit under each of the four. Cross out the things you wrote down in the first three examples and take time asking God to help remove those unhealthy things out of your life.
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