Read Luke 8:9-15.
Jesus continued on through the villages, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. People from town after town came to Him. When he saw the large crowd He told them a parable. Many were following Jesus. Out of those who would listen, Jesus described how the seed, His word, would fall on four different kinds of hearts:
Some fell along the path. And some fell on the rock. And some fell among thorns.
And some fell unto good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.
Jesus then called out to all of them saying: "He who has ears to hear let him hear."
Only those with one type of heart could truly hear. Clearly there are those who don't listen at all. But of those who would listen, few would truly hear. J.C. Ryle comments, it is a parable of universal application. The things it relates to are continually going on in every congregation wherever the gospel is preached. The four kinds of hearts that it describes are to be found in every assembly that hears the word. These factors should make us read the parable very carefully. We should say to ourselves, as we read it, "This concerns me. My heart is seen in this parable. I, too, am here."
He who has ears to hear let him hear.
Our heart is represented in one of these. Ask the Lord this week to help you see the condition of your heart.
Praise God for bringing His word to you.
Confess your need for His Spirit to reveal the true condition of your heart.
Thank God for drawing you close to Him.
Ask God to help your heart be humble and ready to receive His truth.
“His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. And He said, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is 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. Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”
Luke 8:9-15 NASB
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