“Some seeds fell on…”
By Amy Clackum
How many hats do you wear?
As a full-time working mother and wife, I feel like I am responsible for it all. My hats are constantly swapping on my head or piling each on the other as different responsibilities and needs battle for my attention. With all the hat exchanges, I don’t realize how the cares of the world creep into the soil of my heart!
Jesus tells us the cares of this world can be like thorns growing up, strangling and draining the life out of a plant.
“As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” Matthew 13:22-23, NLT.
How do we avoid the chokehold of the world’s demands and cultivate good soil that grows strong in our relationship with God?
In Part 1 of the Heart-iCulture Series, we learned about two types of soil that will hinder our spiritual growth. But there is one more type of soil we want to avoid.
Four Soils of the Heart
What type of soil grows a heart for God?
Thorny Ground
Thorns are tricky because they love good soil, too, but they can ruin it. The trouble with thorns is they grow next to tender, healthy plants, pricking and poking them. If we attempt to remove the thorny weed without digging up the root, the weed will break off easily and grow back quickly.
The thorns are our third type of soil and will always prevent a plant from growing strong by stealing nutrients. The most devastating part occurs above ground when a healthy plant becomes entangled by the prickly weed blocking the good plant’s sun. The thorny weed begins to dominate and eventually chokes the life out of the good plant. Being dominated and choked is a graphic image when applied to our hearts.
What thorns in our lives could have a choking effect?
The Word says thorns are “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches.”
Thorns can look like envy, people pleasing, popularity seeking, loving money, or even a drive and determination to earn a place in the world. We are to be wary of the prickly, thorny soil that will prevent the Word of God from taking root in our hearts and growing strong in our lives.
Jesus also taught, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money” (Matthew 6:24, NLT).
When we allow thorns to grow, we become divided and distracted. And a divided, distracted person will not have a heart to grow the Word of God.
Is there anything you have come to care about more than seeking God and doing His will? A thorn could be as simple as desiring your comfort more than the will of God or as significant as orienting your whole life around pursuing more _____ (fill in the blank: money, toys, followers).
When we realize we have begun cultivating a thorn, we must do the hard work of digging out the weed at the roots. We want to move quickly to remove the thorn before the enemy of our hearts can throw a little… ahem… fertilizer on top of everything else.
How do we avoid the thorns of life?
Ask God to give you eyes to see your thorns clearly. Then, pull the weeds of anything that tries to rule your life. We remove those weeds, knowing they will choke out the beautiful things God is doing in our lives, if they remain.
Dealing with those thorns cultivates a heart of good soil where the Word of God can bloom inside us.
Good Ground
On the surface, when only 25% of the seeds fall onto good soil, we can feel disheartened. But that quarter has incredible potential!
The same seed fell on all four soils, but the state of the heart made the difference in the plant’s success. The good soil is the fourth type of soil and the one we need to cultivate.
How do we cultivate good soil?
Growing a heart for God begins with an awareness of how we can be vulnerable to having one or a combination of hard, rocky, or thorny ground. We avoid these types of soils and cultivate good soil by:
- Receiving the truths of the Word of God – The sowing of the seed.
- Believing the Truths of the Word of God – The seeds growing roots.
- Obeying to the Truths of the Word of God – The working and weeding of the soil around the plant.
- Sharing the Truths of the Word of God – The sharing of a bountiful harvest with others.
In a spiritually starving world, can you imagine what our community would look like if we cultivated the soil of our hearts, allowing Jesus to bring a harvest of His Word? After all, seeds aren’t just planted for the seed’s sake but to feed an entire community around them! Families, marriages, teens, and children who are starving and turning to the poison the world is offering could be nourished by the Truth of who God is and His great love for them.
May we cultivate a heart for the Word of God and, in turn, bring life to our community.
I pray you will recognize the places in your heart where thorns have begun to grow. I pray you will allow God to help you pull up any cares rooted in your heart. May the Master Gardener give you eyes to see the spiritually hungry in your life so you can share the bounty of harvest from your good soil. In Jesus’ name, so be it.
Meditate: Lord, may my heart be full of good soil for Your Word to grow.
Reflect: Are there any cares or desires that have taken root in my heart? Do I need to invite the Holy Spirit to dig up the roots of bitterness or the love of money that will choke out the good growth of the Word of God? How can I grow a heart with soil that is good and that will produce a harvest?
Deeper: Matthew 13:22-23; Matthew 6:24-34, Jeremiah 17:7-8
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(Bible References: NLT – New Living Translation)
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