Matthew 13: 1-9.
Please change your mind to the form of a child so that you can understand the Word that God has for you today.
One of the most famous parables of Jesus (and incidentally, one of my favorites) is the parable of the sower. This parable contains a profound and wonderful teaching that I would like to share with you. The story talks about a sower, who is God; a seed, which is the Word of God; and four lands on which the seed fell, which are four types of hearts or ways of receiving the Word of God. What kind of heart do you have? How are you receiving the Word of God? Following is an explanation of each of the four types of hearts; As you read the explanation, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what kind of heart you have and analyze yourself, in search of having the heart that God wants so that His Word may bear fruit in you.
1.- A carnal heart (Matthew 13: 4)
The first land on which the seed fell was on the road; and then the birds came and ate it. A carnal heart refers to a heart that has so much noise that it can not understand the voice of God.
Let's see an example that can help us understand this type of heart. Do you know the story of Nicodemus? Nicodemus was a Pharisee, teacher of the law in Israel and principal among the Jews. Once, he went to Jesus at night, (John 3: 1-15) and Jesus told him that he had to be born again in order to enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus wanted to say, because he did not have his eyes on the things above, but on those of the earth; I did not have a willing heart to believe, but a predisposed one to ask and to doubt. Even though Nicodemus had so much knowledge of God, he could not understand his Word, simply because he was trying to interpret it with his own knowledge and knowledge; and, that knowledge, blinded him to not see the truths of the kingdom. If we read the text, we see that Nicodemus always asked "How ...?"; This implies an attitude of a person who wants to understand the truth of God in his own way and who does not surrender his being in full obedience and faith. This is a carnal heart.
A person with a carnal mind, wants to understand everything in his own way, always has questions and doubts, his mind is not calm and he wants to reason everything. Such a person can not believe, for faith implies sacrifice of oneself for the acceptance of a greater truth; and, being so attached to their own knowledge, the evil one (the birds) easily arrives and snatches the word that was sown.
2.- A forgetful heart (Matthew 13: 5-6):
The second terrain is the stony ground, where the seed soon sprouted but then the Sun came and burned it, because it had no root. A forgetful heart is one who receives the Word with emotion and joy, but who, when difficulties come, forgets it.
A person with a forgetful heart has a very strong principle, in fact, it grows rapidly; in the eyes of others, it seems that he will be a great leader of the church; with little time to know the truth of God, he is already preaching, ministering, praying and working in the church with great passion. However, when a difficulty and affliction come, when the persecution comes because of the Word that promulgates, when the time of the trial comes; He decides to renounce everything and go back because he does not have enough strength to move on. Faith is not a question of emotions, but of firmness.
In John 6:66, he tells us about a group of disciples who could not bear the truth that Jesus came to teach and preferred to go back and not walk with him again. This is an example of a forgetful heart.
3.- An attached heart (Matthew 13: 7):
The third ground was the thorns, where the word fell, but the thorns grew and drowned it. An attached heart is one who seeks his own good and is selfish, to such an extent that he is unable to renounce his own life for the sake of Jesus.
A person with an attached heart has his mind in his own glory, and not in the glory of God; he prefers to look good to other people, to stay firm in the faith; look for wealth, honor and glory; he has his gaze on the treasures of this earth and not on those above, and that eagerness to obtain them grows, like the thorns, until he ends up drowning the Word that was planted in his heart.
An example of this type of heart is the rich young man (Matthew 19: 16-30) who preferred his abundant wealth to follow Jesus and receive an even greater wealth; He was so attached that he was unable to renounce her, not even for Jesus. This is an example of an attached heart.
4.- An obedient heart (Matthew 13: 8)
Finally, the seed fell on good soil, and yielded fruit, a hundredfold, sixtyfold, and thirtyfold. An obedient heart is one who hears and understands the truth of God, because he surrenders all his heart to Him.
A person with an obedient heart, simply, is one who surrenders all his life in search of the knowledge of God; He is someone to whom the evil can not steal the Word, because he has his mind set on God; he is someone to whom the proofs can not burn the Word, because he is firm in God; he is someone to whom the worries of the world can not drown him the Word, because he looks for the treasures of above; It is a person who receives the word with faith and keeps it in his heart to put it into practice. In this person the word grows and bears abundant fruit.
Peter, a fisherman of bad character and who denied Jesus fearing for his own life, we see him preaching in Jerusalem, without taking care of what happens to him, making powerful signals and speaking with an incredible wisdom and firmness, being more and more similar to his Master. Paul, a persecutor of Christians, we see him preaching the gospel of Jesus to all the known world at that time. Matthew, a tax collector, renounces all his wealth by following Jesus and writes a gospel that we still read today. These men, without taking into account the rest of the disciples and the other followers of Jesus who believed for their testimony, are an example of a good land that produces abundant fruit for the glory of God.
What kind of heart do you have? I challenge you to be fertile ground where the word of God will bear abundant fruit for his glory.
Remember that:
1.- You must change your heart and submit your mind in obedience to Jesus.
2.- Never forget what you have learned from Jesus, stand firm!
3.- Find the treasures above, as they are the most valuable.
4.- Be fertile ground where the Word of God will bear abundant fruit for his glory.
GOD BLESS YOU
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. It will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which gives its fruit in its time, and its leaf does not fall; And whatever he does shall prosper."
Psalm 1: 1-3
