UNDERSTANDING SEEDS AND HEART CONDITIONS

LUKE 8:11-15 NKJ 
11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. 

OBSERVATION: 

This is a key parable in terms of understanding how God's kingdom operates.   

Jesus said the seed is the word of God.  

I am not much on growing gardens or farming. But I do understand that if you plant a seed in good ground, it will grow.   

Seeds are in their own right miraculous. That a small seed can produce such amazing results speaks to the absolute genius of God.   

Jesus, in this parable, is revealing that God's word is that same kind of miraculous. If planted in the right environment, it will grow and produce amazing fruit.   

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the God’s seed. The variable is the condition of the ground. Or in the case of people the heart condition.   

Jesus revealed four kinds of ground or heart condition. 

The hard ground is the heart that does not receive God's word. By rejecting the seed of God's word, the end result is no fruit at all. The seed does not have the opportunity to grow.   

The seed on the rock is the shallow heart. The seed of God's word is not rejected. Actually, the seed is received with joy. However, when the pressure is on the seed, God's word, is discarded, and the fruit is impacted.   

The seed that fell among thorns is the heart that is distracted and full of other things. Things of this life. Worries, love of money, and the things that only the world can offer. There is nothing inherently wrong with these things, except worry, but they are taking up way too much heart space, and God's word does not have room to grow.   

The seed on the good ground is the heart that receives God's word. Stays with God's word even when the pressure increases. Is not distracted by too many outside worries and cares. And keeps acting on what God's word says and does not quit.   

This is the productive heart.   

APPLICATION: 

We all have the capacity to have productive, fruit producing hearts. These words from Jesus help us understand what we need to do and stop doing.   

The exciting thing is that God's seed is powerful, and when planted in our hearts, great and transformational things take place.