1. The three bad kinds of ground (18-22)

Jesus said that the parable of the sower is about whose heart can receive the word of God. The first type of ground, the path, is like someone with a hard heart; as soon as they hear the word, the devil takes it away. The rocky ground is like someone who responds with joy to the word, but they don't put down deep roots, and so they fall away when persecution comes. The weedy soil represents a person for whom the concerns of earthly life choke the growth of God's word. Considering these spiritual dangers, we can examine the condition of our own hearts before God.

2. Good heart soil (23)

If our heart is a soil where the word of God can take root, we have great prospects. We will grow spiritually mature and our life will be a blessing to many people. We can ask the Holy Spirit to soften our hard hearts, and we can prioritize meditating on God's word until it transforms our inner self.


Application: Lord Jesus, thank you for your insight about how the word of God grows in our hearts. Please make me good soil to bear fruit for your kingdom.
One Word: Good heart soil bears an abundant crop.