Is your heart prepared?
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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Why is it that a pastor at a church may give a Holy Spirit-inspired sermon, yet a few days later, it is forgotten, and people return to their routines? To many in society, the church is like a social club, a place to get a good word, meet our friends, lift our spirits, hear what we want to hear, and nothing more. We come, cry a few tears of repentance, leave, and nothing changes.
But is this what Christianity is about?
Is it all about feelings? Is it only a Sunday festivity?
Parable of The Sower
We sat down and did some research on this topic. Why is the message not getting through to the people? We discovered that the problem was not with the pastors or the message. Most of the problems lay in the heart of the recipient.
Let us look at what our Lord Jesus Christ had to say about this topic. In the book of Matthew, the thirteen chapter, Jesus begins to give the disciples the parable of the sower:
“Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!””
Matthew 13:3
Parable Explained
The disciples asked Jesus why He spoke to the multitudes in parables. Jesus explained that because of the hard hearts of many, they will hear and not understand, see, and not perceive.
“And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.’”
Matthew 13: 14-15
Notice the last part? Turn, and He will heal us. In military terms, an encrypted code requires a key to decipher the message. Jesus Christ is that KEY. If you trust Him as your Lord and Savior, He will explain the Bible through the Holy Spirit.
Then Jesus explained the parable to the disciples:
“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
Matthew 13:18-23
There are four reactions to the sower mentioned in the explanation above.
- Those who do not understand the message. The message hits the ears and enters the brain but never reaches the heart because the hearer does not know how to apply the instruction, does not understand, or is unwilling to understand. The wicked one, the devil, fills the void in the hearer’s mind with other more exciting stuff.
- Those without roots. The message is received gladly, and the hearer goes away with joy. Once the testing comes, the hearer cannot endure. The seed fell on stony ground and did not cleave to the hearer’s heart. It did not grow roots.
- Those with thorns among the roses. These hearers accept the message, but the worries of this world, money matters, and the desires for fame and pleasure choke the message, and the value of the message plunges.
- Those on good ground. When the hearers receive the message, understand it, or seek understanding, roots grow in their hearts and become fruitful. In other words, they become full of life and bring forth fruit.
What is my type of ground?
In this parable, the Lord Jesus Christ is identified as the sower. The seed is the Word of God, and the ground is the heart of the hearer of the Word of God.
Our Lord is trying to tell us that we need to examine our hearts, evaluate their composition, and ask Him for heart surgery when a problem is identified. He and He alone can give us a new heart, a heart of flesh, not stone.
THOSE THAT DO NOT UNDERSTAND
Do I fall into this category? When someone talks to me about the Bible, do I put up a wall and say the Bible is hard to understand and use that as an excuse to do what I please and reject the Lord?
When we buy a new toy, automobile, or other material things, don’t we study how it operates? We go to sleep with the manual in our hands. Why? We want to know everything about it so we can enjoy the experience.
When we meet a new love, don’t we want to know everything about that person? We want to spend time with a new love. We want to know what makes them tick. They become valuable to us. How valuable is our creator to us? How much time and effort are we willing to give Him? Show me how you spend your time, and I will show you where your heart is!
THOSE WITHOUT ROOTS, STONY GROUND
In Mark 14:66-72, we read that Peter denied the Lord 3 times before the rooster crowed? All was well when Jesus was performing miracles. But, when Jesus was arrested, punished, and sentenced to die, Peter denied he knew Jesus because he feared getting arrested and crucified like Jesus. What about us? We hear in church and His Word that God loves a person with integrity. We go to work on Monday, and our boss asks us to falsify a report to get more money for the quarter. We fear losing our jobs, so we lie instead of sticking to the Word of God. The seed planted did not grow roots and was burned by the heat, our trials.
THOSE AMONG THE THORNS
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-21
Have you ever had these thoughts?
- I cannot give time to the church and God; I am too busy at work, and my career will suffer.
- Co-workers may not want to hang out with me if they find out I became a Christian.
- My family will not talk to me if I become a Christian; our religion is essential.
- I cannot contribute to the church; I need all my money to pay bills and buy stuff.
The cares of this world will choke the seed planted in us. Where is our treasure, my friend?
What is more important to us today? Our fleeting pleasures and good feelings or an eternity with our Creator?
Everything visible to us will soon pass away. Let us examine our hearts and see where our treasure is.
THOSE WITH GOOD GROUND
Every good ground does not just appear out of mid-air. Farming requires hard work to tilt the soil, plant the seed, and water it. Then, we will reap a good harvest and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
The good ground in this parable is the person who receives the Word of God and meditates on it constantly. This person removes the weeds and tares from the ground so the seed will not have competition for nutrients. This person prays to God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, the living water, to make the seed grow in our hearts and become fruitful.
The Apostle Paul asked us to be light bearers and continue working (exercising) what God has placed in us.
Light Bearers
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
Philippians 2:12
CONCLUSION
Jesus wants to give us the good ground in which the seed of His Word will grow and become fruitful. No matter the type of heart we may have now, He can give us a new heart if we let Him and trust Him.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Abba, Father!
You are the God who counts the hair in our heads. A sparrow does not die without you knowing about it. Yet, we live in disregard of your guidance and your Word. We think we know better. Father, help us, give us a new heart, place your Holy Spirit in us so we can repent, hear your Word, understand it, turn, and be healed by you. Increase our faith, oh Lord!
In the name and authority of Jesus Christ, we pray!
Amen!
To God, be the glory!
Everything was created by our Lord Jesus, By Him, For Him!
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-25
Disclaimer
I write this blog as I get inspired by God. Consider this writing as a Bible study. Like the Bereans In Acts 17:11, search the Scriptures to determine whether what I write is so. Always consult with your church ministers about biblical matters. I am also not a professional writer, so some grammar or spelling errors may be. I try my best to write as efficiently as possible. Your brother, In-Christ, Ricardo
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