Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

My parents have always loved gardening. Each year when the weather grew warmer and the grass turned a little greener, I would join my parents on their annual trip to the plant nursery, picking out all my favorite flowers and seeds to grow in our backyard. When we returned home, the real work would begin – planting all of our purchases from that day. I remember my parents diligently filling up pots with the perfect amount of soil, showing me how to break up the clumps of soil tangling up plant roots, making sure the soil had the right amount of water, adding fertilizer, and tilling up hard dirt to plant seeds. It was always much more work than I bargained for, and I never understood why my parents were so meticulous. But they understood that without the proper condition of the soil, the plants never had a chance of growing. Unfortunately, I didn’t inherit my parents’ green thumb. It’s an amazing feat for me to keep a plant alive for longer than a month, but I do know enough about plants to know that soil provides all of the nutrients needed by a plant to grow.

In this chapter, a large crowd has gathered to see Jesus, and He tells them the Parable of the Sower. Because of how agriculturally people lived during the New Testament, the crowd listening to His teachings would definitely have known the importance of soil when planting seeds. If you’ve spent a good amount of time in church, you’ve most likely heard this parable before. In it, the “farmer” is Jesus and the “seed” is the Word of God. The “soil” represents four categories of hearers' hearts, four different reactions to the Word of God:

He presents 4 types of soil that a farmer planted seeds in:

1. Roadside soil – Because this ground is walked along so frequently, it is hard and impenetrable. The seeds never breach the surface and are then eaten up by birds. This soil represents a heart that is hardened towards God and is never penetrated by the Gospel.
2. Rocky soil – When the seeds land here, they grow for a moment and then almost immediately wither away because they cannot take root. This soil represents someone who superficially commits to Christ but does not grow and instead falls away from their faith.
3. Thorny soil – The seeds that land here grow up and are then choked away by thorns. This soil shows us a picture of someone who becomes consumed with the things of this world and loses interest in the things of God.
4. Good soil – The seeds that land here produce a rich harvest. This represents a heart that receives God’s Word and bears fruit.

While each soil received seeds, only one was cultivated and ready for planting. In the same way, we all have the potential for the harvest, living a fruitful life, but we’ll produce the most fruit when our hearts are open and yielding to God’s Word.

Reflection:

• Which type of soil most accurately represents your heart right now? How can you become more cultivated?
• Pray this: “Dear God, Open my heart to Your Word. Let my heart be good soil to receive Your Word and bear fruit for You. Soften my heart each day, as I seek to follow You. Amen.”

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Family Application: Luke 8

Author: Dahlia Landers

Jesus continues teaching and healing in this chapter. He used parables to help the people understand His lessons. A parable is a simple story used to show us a picture to help us understand a spiritual lesson that Jesus told in the Gospels.

In a parable, Jesus uses the example of how a seed should be planted to grow and thrive. The seed is God’s Word. It should be planted in our hearts and cared for so we will produce a good crop for eternity. How does God plant and grow a seed in our hearts? When we hear the Good News about Jesus, we can start to understand who He is and how we can follow Him. When we believe and trust Jesus to save us and lead us forever, He grows the seed! Our faith can grow even more when we read the Bible, go to church, and pray! And when our faith grows, God can help us spread His Good News and new seeds can be planted in our friends and family!

Jesus’ parables teach us how to live and trust Jesus to be there for us!

• Prayer: Father, thank You for sending Jesus to save us. Thank You for the stories of His time on earth that show us how special He was and how we can live the way You want us to live. Help us to believe and to expect great things from You. Amen.