And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. Luke 8:4-15 KJV
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalms 126:5-6 KJV
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Genesis 8:22 KJV
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Hosea 10:12 KJV
Definition of Fallow:"plowed and left unseeded for a season or more; uncultivated. land that has undergone plowing and harrowing and has been left unseeded for one or more growing seasons.
1. (of land) left unseeded after being ploughed and harrowed to regain fertility for a crop
2. (of an idea, state of mind, etc) undeveloped or inactive, but potentially useful"
Let me emphasize once again! There is NOTHING wrong with the SEED!
The SEED is the WORD! Just like a good seed has within it the potential to become a fruitful plant, so every Word of God has within it the ability to bring to pass what it says!
The Word is Pure!
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Proverbs 30:5-6 KJV
Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it. Psalms 119:140 KJV
The Word is powerful!
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 KJV
The Word is Precious!
And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision. 1 Samuel 3:1 KJV. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalms 126:5-6 KJV
The Word is Prophetic!
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 1:19-21 KJV
The Word is Perfect!
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. Psalms 19:7 KJV
It's the soil that requires attention! We therefore look at the four described soils and examine a possible solution.
Wayside soil
This is soil subjected to continuous travelling, inroads, trafficking and trampling, resulting in compacting of the soil into a hard bind.
Here it represents minds and hearts that have been conditioned by the constant inroad and trampling of excessive worldly ties and opinions! It creates a hardboiled, critical and skeptical life, that will not receive the Word, which has resulted in a gradual hardening against the truth. Too much of worldly and otherworldly opinions have resulted in a life so hardboiled, critical and skeptical that it scoffs at the simple truth of the Word of God
As believers in order to prevent this condition, we need to put up barriers to any intrusion, preventing further trespassing. We need to make a definite and decided effort to open to the Word!
Shallow Soil
This is soil that appears good on the surface, but a stony resistant layer lies somewhere below the surface preventing in-depth penetration.
Here it represents a heart that is open to the Word but only to an extent. Below the surface is a hidden, resistant impenetrable layer of cultural and traditional beliefs, and self interest that prevents further penetration, and therefore further commitment. There is a stubborn refusal to allow a deeper commitment, with the end result that, what find its way into the life is sooner or later burned out.
To prevent this, there should be a removal and rejection of all previous false cultural and traditional barriers. We need to move away from self absorption to Word reception!
Thorny Soil
This is good productive ground as evidenced by the presence of thorns, which however choke and stifle development of the good seed, preventing it from its goal
Here it represents a heart that is pretty receptive, which allows the Word access easily. However this type allows the wear and tear and cares of this life too much influence in their lives. Life becomes compromising, and preoccupation with too many cares results in a stifling of the effect of the Word, producing less than perfect fruit. In the constant struggle between the Word and the Weeds, the believer allows the weeds to take over, choking off the Word! It's always a choice to be made.
To prevent this we need to uproot the cares and other compromise, and preoccupation, that stifles and stunts spiritual growth and production!
Good Soil
This is just that! Good, well prepared, well kept and well protected!
This represents the heart that is attended to, so that it is constantly receptive to the Word. This person continues to believe, trust and hold on to God's Word regardless. No weed of doubt, fear, unbelief, is allowed to make any headway or lay down roots. This soil is constantly tended to ensure that it is receptive to the Word, and is therefore very fruitful.
Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. Philippians 4:15 KJV
In order to receive effectively from God we may have to drastically change the way we operate sometimes. Remember your giving is also sowing and people sow seeds with a single purpose in mind. To reap what they sow! No one puts seed in the ground just because it's a nice thing to do. The sow and plant with an expectation to receive and harvest a crop. The farmer always tries to plant his best seeds, because he wants the best produce in return. There are many enemies he has to battle to ensure his seed brings returns; from the birds which will try to steal the seed right out of the ground, to the weeds which will try to strangle the produce. He has to be cautious about where and how he sows, lest he lose the seed.
It is absolutely in order to live in expectation of increase when you have sown correctly! If you expect to receive then you will live in expectation after giving.
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 KJV
