As a pastor, I sometimes hear churchgoers talk about how hard it is to understand the Bible. Being unable to understand the Bible is a serious problem because you can’t live by what you don’t understand. The Lord does not want us to be hearers of the Word of God only but doers of the same as well.
So, what’s the key to growing in the knowledge of the Bible and experiencing its life-changing power?
In His parable of the Seed and the Sower, Jesus explains why the Word of God does not take root in the hearts of some people who read the Bible and who listen to preaching. “The cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful,” He said (Mark 4:19, KJV).
Perhaps most Christians will say they want to grow in their knowledge of the Bible. They want to know how to effectively live their lives. When faced with adversity, they want to know what Jesus would do. But for some of them, these are no more than passive desires.
Make Room in Your Heart by Turning it to God
We must not allow ourselves to become so preoccupied with the things of this world that we lack ample room in our heart for God’s Word to flourish. If that’s where you currently are, you should make the necessary lifestyle changes to make room in your heart for God’s Word. If not, Jesus says your worldly cares, the deceitfulness of riches and your desires for other things will continue to choke the Word so that it can’t produce in you.
For a seed to grow properly, it must be planted into good soil. In this parable, the seed is the Word of God. The soil is the hearts of those who hear the gospel. No matter how good the seed is, it will produce below potential when placed into bad soil. According to Jesus, a heart preoccupied with a love for the things of this world is bad soil.
The next time you are in a public place, look at the people around you. You are likely to observe most of them being preoccupied by their favorite digital device. They are talking, texting, managing activity through apps, playing their favorite games online, etc. We are becoming a world that never rests.
Christians, however, must not allow themselves to become conformed to this world. To become a man or woman of God, you must go against the grain. “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2, NASB).
God’s Word has the power to progressively and positively change your life. As you continue reading it and hearing the preaching of the Word, it will become more deeply rooted in your heart. It will produce godly fruits in your life. But this will happen only if you are willing to make room in your heart for the Word of God to take root and grow.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.
Bisi
Someone once said that the parable of the sower should be read as the parable of the soils. The whole parable is actually about the condition of the hearts. God Word is an incorruptible seed, so its the ground is what determines the fruit. Thanks for sharing.
frankking025
Yes, Bisi. I agree that the condition of the heart of the hearers is the focal point of the parable. The ability of the seed to produce is subject to the condition of a person’s heart.