“And He began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto Him a great multitude, so that He entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
And He taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in His doctrine, 'Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow.
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth.
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred.
And He said unto them, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear”. Mark 4:1-9
“And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” Mark 4:20
Beware of Fowls and Stones
There are stages in believers receptivity of the Word: the wayside, the stony ground, the thorny ground and the good ground.
The fowls and stones are the limitations of the first two grounds. The seed is the Word of God. The fowl is the enemy. The ground here is your heart. The stones represent persecutions and troubles which attacks God's Word a believer receives.
Guide against the fowls. They come for the Word if you don't accept and receive it. Value the Word of God.
Unbelief is what makes the devil access the valuable Word you receive. When you believe in the Word, you will hold onto it against the press of challenges, afflictions and persecutions.
Beware of Growing Thorns
Jesus identified these thorns as 'the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the list of other things.'
They grow and choke the Word. If your heart must be a good ground, you have to deal with the thorns. This reveals that it is not only persecutions, afflictions and poverty that attacks the Word of God.
Ironically, riches do. They make you lust after other things, thereby neglecting the Word.
Hear and Receive
This parable reveals that there is difference between hearing and receiving the Word.
You can hear and abandon it. Then the fowls will quickly pick it from you.
But when you receive it, then you can proceed to bear fruit. Receiving means accepting the Word of God. If you reject God's Word, you have rejected Him even though you confess Him.
He said ‘These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me’ Mathew 15:8
Your heart is the ground, the place where the Word is planted. The target is fruit bearing, fruit of the Spirit and of the Kingdom.
Bishop David Oyedepo said, "God's Word is a seed; when spoken, they are planted, when believed, they are sown, when acted upon, it produces results.”
Your heart is a good ground for the Word. Cultivate it with prayers. Drive the fowls away; uproot every thorn of worldliness and carnal affections.
You will enjoy the fruit of the Word in your life. Not only you but also the Giver of the seed. Your fruit is what gladdens the Giver of the seed. The impact of your life on others gladdens God who is the giver of the seed.
At all cost, protect and grow the Word. Bear fruit.
Your heart is a good ground. God bless you.
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