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In the Bible we read of "parables" that Jesus used to tell a story that the people could relate to in order to teach a heavenly principle. In Matthew 13, we see the parable of the Sower. His parable is about every Christian that goes into the world  to spread the Gospel and what happens to the "seed" once it is taught.

There are four different types of "soil", the heart of the listener, that receive the seed.  The first seed is thrown to the wayside and gets eaten by the birds:

4 "And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up"

The seed here is the Word of God that was heard in bits and pieces and not fully understood or received.  The world does not nurture the seed and continues to sin.

The second seed lands on shallow, stony soil. The seed springs up immediately but with out depth or roots.  So when the sun comes up it scorches and withers the new growth:

5 "Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth.

 

6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away"

This seed is accepted and heard.  The people that ear the Word rush to obey and are joyful. However, they are easily tempted and led astray because their faith was not rooted.

The third type is sown in the thorns. The thorns spring p and choke out the seed. 

7"And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them" 

This seed lands among the thorns. The Word is heard but the world and all the things of the world become more important and the Word is choked.

Now the fourth and final soil is good ground and yields a good crop:

8 "But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. "

 

This seed is heard and accepted deep with in the heart of the listener.  They obey the Word of God and teaches it to others. The fruit of a Christian is other Christians.

9 "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

WHAT TYPE OF SOIL IS YOUR HEART? 

What choices are you going to make? 

To not receive the Word of God and be cast aside? 

To be shallow in your beliefs and commitment to God? To die when tested?

To open you heart and accept God's Word but let peer pressure, material wants and other things of this life choke you and stop your growth?

OR will your heart be good soil where the Word of God can be nurtured and grow tall and strong against the devil and his temptations?  Will you yield fruit for God?

Ask any farmer if all they had to do at the beginning of the season was to go out and toss down the seeds and then at harvest time show up to gather the crops? Of course not.  It is hard work and there are alot of obstacles to deal with.  The seeds need food, sunshine and water. The farmer needs to protect their crops from disease, predators and keep out the weeds.

A Christian cannot just Hear the Word of God, believe it to be true and then obey God's word then sit back and enjoy all the benefits of being a child of God. It requires spiritual food and tending.