A Soil Analysis Of The Human Heart
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 4:20
You can’t sow thistles and expect to reap roses. Nor will oak trees grow in rock-strewn deserts.
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What is sown and where it is sown are both crucial elements in producing a harvest.
The divine seed, God’s Word, falls on all kinds of ground and produces fruit—little, much or none at all, depending on the condition of the soil. Alexander Maclaren provides this soil analysis of the human heart.
WALK WITH ALEXANDER MACLAREN
“No one is obliged, either by his temperament or circumstances, to be ‘wayside,’ or ‘stony,’ or ‘thorny’ ground.
“The true acceptance of the Word requires that we do not let it lie only on the surface of our minds, nor be satisfied only to have it penetrate a little deeper and take root in our emotions, or let competing desires grow up unchecked. Instead, we must cherish the word of truth in our deepest hearts, guard it against foes, let it rule there, and mold our conduct to its principles.
“The psalmist said, ‘I have hidden your word in my heart’ (Psalm 119:11). If we do that we shall be fruitful, because his Word will bear fruit in us.
“There will be increase wherever a heart opens to receive the gospel and keeps it steadfastly.
“Not in equal measure in all, but in each according to faithfulness and diligence.”
WALK CLOSER TO GOD
Fruit-bearing requires three things: seed, sower and soil. The first two have already been provided. The perfect seed is the living Word of God. The patient sower is the life-giving Son of God. But as the parable of the sower points out, even that is not enough to guarantee a harvest.
Only you can provide that. And come harvest time, you’ll be mighty glad you
did!
Barren, rocky, thorny or good. Pick your soil carefully; it could make a hundredfold difference in your life.
