Luke 8:18

Jesus spoke these words in conclusion of the parable of the soils and the parable of the lamp. “Take heed” admonishes us to pay attention to how we are listening to the Word of God. The parable of the soils illustrates a sower sowing seed and the various outcomes as the seed falls on different types of ground. The seed that fell on fertile ground yielded “a crop a hundredfold.”

If you are a vegetable gardener, you know that your soil becomes depleted over time as the veggies take up nutrients in order to grow and produce food. To continue producing crops, your soil needs ongoing feeding with fertilizer, compost, and other organic matter. Similarly, as Christians, we need to feed the soil of our hearts in order to grow in faith and to bear fruit in our lives. For us, the fertilizer is God’s word, but we must make sure that our hearts are prepared to receive what the word says so that fruit will be borne in our lives. That preparation is in the form of how we hear God’s word. The word for hear has a connotation of attentiveness or effort, therefore we need to take in God’s word with the intent of it working in our heart so that we can be doers rather than just hearers (James 1:22). Lord, may we hear your word with the expectation of fruit being borne in our lives.

Jeff Mericle