Matthew 13:3-9
And He said many things to them in parables while saying,
“Behold! The one who sows went out to
sow. And in one case in his sowing it
fell over the road. And after birds came
they consumed it. But in another case it
fell upon the thin soil with bedrock beneath it where it was not having much
soil. And it sprouted leaves immediately
because it did not have a depth of earth.
But after the sun rose it was being scorched and because it did not have
any roots it was being withered. But in
another case it fell upon the thorny plants.
And the thorny plants grew and they choked it. But in another case it fell upon the good
earth and it was giving fruit: in one case a hundred, in another case sixty,
and in another case thirty. Let the one
who has an ear hear!
Thoughts for Today
First Thought:
I think this is one of my favorite parables because there is
such depth to it. I think it is also one
of my favorite because I know all four levels of the parable speak into
different times of my life. For example,
take the seed that falls onto the path.
Have I had times in my life where people were trying to pour God into me
and I just wasn’t interested? Of course
I have! I know what it is like to be the
path. I know what it is like to have
that kind of life where I know God is trying to come in but I’m just not that
interested.
When are you most likely to be the path? When are you most likely to have people who
want to pour God into you and you just aren’t interested in it?
Second Thought:
Take the second type of ground: thin soil. I used to always call this the rocky
ground. But then I learned that the word
here in the context of Palestine doesn’t mean ground with a bunch of rocks in
it. Instead, it is referring to a ground
type that is common in the area of Palestine.
It is referring to soil that has a very thin layer of topsoil spread
thinly over a thick layer of bedrock. It
isn’t soil that has rocks in it; it is soil that is thin. Of course, this understanding makes much more
sense in the parable! I certainly know
what it is like to receive God’s teaching but not really apply it to my
life. I know what it is like to memorize
Bible verses without actually living them out.
I know what it is like to pray by just going through the motions without
actually meaning it. I know what it is
like to receive the Word of God but not really let it change who I am.
When are you most likely to be thin soil? When are you most likely to receive the Word
of God but not really be interested in letting it change you?
Third Thought:
The third type of soil is equally as
common in my life. I know what it is
like to receive the Word of God and even want to apply it into my life – yet I
am unable to do so because I’m just to busy and have far too many other things
on my mind to really let it sink in. I
want to listen. I want to obey. I want to change. But I know what it is like to not do any of
those things because the cares of the world are too overwhelming.
When are you most likely to be the soil
that is full of thorns? When are you
most likely to hear, to even want to change, but to be unable to do so?
Fourth Thought:
The fourth type of soil is the prize
soil, but it is often the soil to which I am striving as opposed to the soil that
I am living in. It is a blessed thing to
be able to hear and receive God’s truth and actually have it change who you
are. It isn’t easy. It certainly isn’t always fun. But it is good to be in a place in life where
we are actively changing because of the truth being sowed into us by God.
When are you most likely to be good
soil? When are you most likely to
actually change and truly draw near to God?
Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 13:10-15
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