January 12, 2023

Taylor Abaroa
"The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.""
Mark 4:14-20

In the parable, Jesus (the farmer) sows His word (the gospel), which finds itself falling on four different paths. Each piece of this parable holds significance and meaning.

I want to encourage you to read this passage two times. When you read it the first time, I encourage you to read it in context to yourself coming to know God initially. Which of these soils was the most accurate to you at the time? What evidence reminds you of this?

The second time you read it, I encourage you to think from the perspective of the present. No matter where you are on your faith journey, which type of path describes the condition of your heart? Does it look more like seeds sown only to be stolen by the thief or like seeds scattered into rocky soil that do not take root? Does your heart look like a place where seeds have been sowed, but weeds are choking it out, or has the seed taken deep root producing a fruitful crop?

Take a minute to thank God for the work He has done in your life, AND ask Him to show you what it looks like to be the fourth path full of fruitful soil!