Daily Scripture
Luke 8:4-8, 11-15
4 When a great crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from one city after another, he spoke to them in a parable: 5 “A farmer went out to scatter his seed. As he was scattering it, some fell on the path where it was crushed, and the birds in the sky came and ate it. 6 Other seed fell on rock. As it grew, it dried up because it had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorns grew with the plants and choked them. 8 Still other seed landed on good soil. When it grew, it produced one hundred times more grain than was scattered.” As he said this, he called out, “Everyone who has ears should pay attention.”
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11 “The parable means this: The seed is God’s word. 12 The seed on the path are those who hear, but then the devil comes and steals the word from their hearts so that they won’t believe and be saved. 13 The seed on the rock are those who receive the word joyfully when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while but fall away when they are tempted. 14 As for the seed that fell among thorny plants, these are the ones who, as they go about their lives, are choked by the concerns, riches, and pleasures of life, and their fruit never matures. 15 The seed that fell on good soil are those who hear the word and commit themselves to it with a good and upright heart. Through their resolve, they bear fruit.
Reflection Questions
Jesus told this parable, which drew on a common sight in agricultural Palestine, to show that priorities matter. His images of various states of heart and mind (soil) showed how each one affects our ability to hear and follow God’s word (seed). When we cultivate an open, “good soil” heart, he said, then “concerns, riches, and pleasures of life” won’t be able to crowd out the good fruit God is at work to bear in us.
- What’s most important in your life? Who or what first planted "the seed" of God's Word in the soil of your life? Can you identify concerns or interests that have become less prominent in your life when you’ve made God your top priority? Which of the four types of soil in Jesus' parable (path beaten hard, rocky, full of thorns, or good—receptive) best describes how well you can accept the seed right now?
- What are the concerns or interests that most often compete with God’s kingdom for the top priority spot in your life? What key choices have you made (or could you make) that open you to God’s work in helping you cultivate a “good soil” heart? What attitudes, actions, and values most affect to what extent you are “good soil” for God’s Word to grow in?
Prayer
Lord God, the fruit you bear in my life is wonderful, and I want to be good soil for it. Give me clear vision as to what gets in the way of letting that fruit grow. Amen.
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November 10, 2021 at 02:01PM
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Concerns, riches can stop God's word from bearing fruit - Leawood - Church of the Resurrection
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