Soil Searching (Pt.2)

Part 2

“Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that sown in them.”-Mark 4:15

 A well worn path, one that has been well traveled, compacted, and pressed down, isn’t very receptive to receiving seed.  People have walked all over it and it has become hard. When seed lands on it, it doesn’t go down into the soil, it lays on top and becomes susceptible to being eaten by the birds. 

The hard soil reflects the hardness of some people’s hearts towards God Word. These are, often, the hardest people to reach for Christ. They don’t value God’s Word, so they don’t protect it. In fact, many have hardened their hearts against it. They refuse to receive it and so Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown. 

Yet, even though, the path is hard, the farmer in his grace still sows seed on it. We have a God that is not willing that any should perish. He sows seed on even the hardest ground, because he knows the power housed within each seed has the potential change people’s lives.Let me ask you something, if the Word of God doesn’t have the potential to change people’s lives, why would Satan bother to come and steal it from us. Satan understands the potential housed in that seed and doesn’t want to take the risk of you deciding to receive it and experience the harvest within. 

We also learn from Mark 4:5 that some of the seed fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow, but when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they fall quickly fall away. Jesus explain it this way:

“Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.-Mark 4:16-17

Those whose seed is sown on the rocky ground are those that receive the seed with joy and begin to experience some growth. Unfortunately, however, they never experience the full potential of that seed, because they fall away when they realize that it isn’t popular or easy to live according to God’s Word. When trouble or persecution comes, because of it, they quickly fall away. Their hearts are shallow. They don’t allow the Word of God to truly take root in them. They have an appreciation for God’s Word, but don’t see it as an authoritative rule of faith for their lives. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Soil Searching (Pt.1)

(Part 1) 

“13 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 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 4:13-20

Romans 10:17 tells us that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Our faith is directly impacted by what we do with God’s Word. Our passion for or our indifference towards God’s Word determines whether we will live faith-filled lives or faithless lives. If you grow and how quickly you grow in your faith is directly tied to this passage. Jesus said if you don’t understand this parable, how will you understand any of them.

Some of you reading this column need to do some soil searching. Did you notice my little play on words? It sounds like soul searching and in a way it is. Soul searching is an honest evaluation of your feelings and motives. Soil searching is an honest evaluation of how you prepare for and receive God’s Word in your life. So let’s look at the parable:

“ The farmer sows the word.”-Mark 4:14 

This passage could not be any clearer. The seed that is being sown is the Word of God. Here are a few observations that I made about the seed. First, the farmer knows that there is no harvest if the seed isn’t sown. So, he is diligent to make certain that the seed gets scattered. In fact, the one constant in this passage is the seed. 

Secondly, all the soils are all different, but they all received the same seed. Do you know what is so amazing about that? 

God’s Word (seed) always has a harvest in it. Every time we read God’s Word or listen to a message; the Word that comes to us already has a potential harvest inside of it.  So if you are not reaping a harvest of faith in your life, what we will learn over the next few couple of weeks is this: It’s never a problem with the seed that God is sowing. God’s seed is never the issue, it's a soil problem. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church