"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." - Luke 6:46-49 ESV
And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.' Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. - Luke 8:4-14 ESV
Rev. Dan Whang
The sower parable is explaining that in order to get the most from the word, we need to have the right heart. We need to check our heart before diving into God's word.
The path is the hard soil. The seed does not penetrate the soil. This soil characterizes a heart that is hardened by unbelief. We may hear the word and it has no impact on our lives. Can this be your struggle? What could make for hard hearts? Here's three possibilities.
Are you proud? Do you think that you don't need help from God or others? Do you feel like you know enough?
Are you hurt? Do you feel betrayed by someone important to you?
Have you been hardened by sin? Are your feelings and desires deadened to spiritual things? Has sin ensnared you into dead living?
Rocky ground has no moisture. There is not enough soil to hold water. The seed, the word of God, takes but has no root. So times of trial and tribulation kills them off.
The faith is only fair weather. It cannot handle persecution and self denial. It is a shallow faith and shallow convictions. We may love hearing the word, but when we get tested, we fall. We forget God's word and his promises. This testing is supposed to give us inner fortitude and perseverance.
The divided heart is illustrated by thorns. The seeds grow, but it gets choked by weeds. The word convicts us. But we are distracted by things of the world. God is not firmly enthroned as first in our lives. We fill our lives with so many other things, entertainment, vacations, hobbies, food, etc.
Farmers don't just throw their seeds all over. They carefully make sure the soil is in good condition. They check for right moisture levels, nutrients, etc. This is hard work. This is the heart we all want and need.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. - John 12:24 ESV
We are reminded of something else Jesus said. The seed has to fall and die in order for there to be a harvest. He was speaking of himself, coming to earth to die. He kicked off the coming of the kingdom of God.
We need to not only hear the word of God, but to apply it. That is the main point of the foundations parable. We need to take the word and place it into action in our lives. We must not only enjoy the word, but we need to obey. We need to take God's word seriously. God's word must be foundational. Both builders work hard. But the second misses a crucial step. The results are disastrous. Don't just listen and feel convicted. Dig deep and lay a foundation.
Practical applications
Make intentional daily appointments to be in the word of God
Pick a book in the Bible and complete it
Start your week on what was preached last week. Review what the preacher covered and see if there are fresh inspiration from God on how to apply it in our lives.
Journaling can calm and slow us down. It can be good for our reflection and meditation. It can also help us retain more of what we've learned.
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