Lighthouse scribes

Luke 8:4-8, 11-15; Matthew 13:1-8, 18-23 ; Mark 4:3-8, 13-20

The farmer, the seed and the ground/soil are the recurring actors in this story, but from the explanation Jesus gave, we soon learn that this parable is not about the sower or the seed. This parable is not about the preacher or the word but about the nature of our human heart and how it responds to the Word of God.
So, let’s see what Jesus said about the 4 different hearts that heard the word of God.

Footpath hearts
The first type of heart Jesus described was the footpath heart. These are those who hear the word, and the devil immediately steals it away so they do not believe to be saved. In these people, the word is never planted. We must not be deceived; there’s a direct activity of the devil to steal the word of God from the hearts of men and to prevent it from growing, but you see, his work is easier based on the nature of the hearts.

Rocky Hearts
These types of people hear the word and receive it with gladness. But because they have no firmly grounded root when faced with temptation and trial, they fall away or abandon their faith. This type of heart reminds us again that the only evidence of Christian growth is in the fruit, the fruit of the spirit that we bear. That a person seems to be ‘running with the word’ is not evidence that the word is deeply rooted in them. That a person has been a Christian for decades does not make them immune to superficially ‘receiving’ the word. How many times have you been in church or read the word and been excited about what you learnt, but after a self-assessment weeks later, you notice that there’s not been any real growth about what you leapt for?

Thorn-filled Hearts
I don’t know about you, but I can relate to this one. We have a tendency to induce claustrophobia in our own hearts. The soil was right; unfortunately, the soil had other plantings that got in the way of the maturity of the most economical plant on it. The seed grew but never reached maturity to bear fruit.
We must see that cares, riches and pleasures of life are the unspiritual things competing with our spiritual growth as Christians. See, this time it isn’t the devil, but what we’ve hosted in our hearts that’s in the way of our maturity and fruitfulness.

Good Hearts
This is the standard the Father wants for all of us. Jesus likened the soil that produced fruit to those who hear the word and understand it. The gospel according to Luke goes on to say that these people hold on to the word tightly—they consistently practise it. It’s no wonder they will bear fruit because they aren’t immune to the cares of this world; they have only chosen to live life by the continuous practice of biblical doctrines.


How do we make good hearts? What then do we need to do to have good hearts?

My parents used to garden, and it’s one thing I’ve always hoped I could do with my boys—not because I like gardening in practice (I like it more like an idea, and I like the idea of having homegrown fruits and veggies), but because I’d like it as another opportunity to bond—us working together and my genius sons telling me a million things I didn’t know about plants. Doing things together made us a close-knit family. Sometimes when my dad was out of town, my mom would reduce gardening time because her buddy was absent. What usually happened was that we’d have portions of the garden covered in weeds. Once you give those things breathing space they quickly dominate, and grow faster than cultivated plants. It’s the same with our hearts. So, what should we do?

1. Start with God and stay with God. The best place to begin change is always God. The best way to keep our heart in check is by His word. Psalms 139:23-24. We can ask Him to help us with our weaknesses, and to show us what is true.
2. Guard your heart. Proverbs 4:23. The Bible is clear that the heart determines the course of our lives.
3. Have the right treasure. Matthew 6:21. The human heart will naturally focus on what it most values.

Many other points I could list will fall under these three. We can’t make our hearts good all by ourselves, but we have a big part to play for the Holy Spirit to do His work within us. If we stay consistent and sincere with God, we will see changes happen in us.

Love,

Osi