“I am such a failure!”
I often times feel that way after trying to share the Gospel with
someone or trying to encourage a brother or sister in Christ. “They didn’t seem to get it and so I must
have failed at communicating.” This is
often my thinking. The Lord has been
teaching me that how people respond is not 100% based on what I say or how I
say it, but based on their heart.
“Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some
seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on the rocky places, where they
did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no
depth of soil. But when the sun had
risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered
away. Others fell among the thorns, and
the thorns came up and choked them out.
And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold,
some sixty, and some thirty. He who has
ears, let him hear.” (Matt 13:3-9)
Jesus goes on to
explain this parable to His disciples and what He focuses on is the heart of
the hearer. I’ve always been confused by
this parable, because I didn’t understand the issues of the heart. I especially would get hung up on the ones
who have a “good” heart. Jesus, what do
you mean that someone has a good heart?
I thought our hearts are desperately wicked and lead us away from you
(Jeremiah 17:9) and there is no one good (Rom 3:12). How can you say some have good hearts and
that enables them to bear good fruit?
As I began to ask
this question to the Lord, He began to ask me, “What is the difference between
each of the soils?” The soil along the
road is extremely hard, trampled upon and the seed is unable to break through
the ground. The rocky places do not have
much soil and so the roots of the plant are unable to get deep enough to find
water. The soil filled with thorns will
choke out the seed and prevent it from growing.
But the good soil has been
broken up with a plow and rocks, thorns, and thistles have been removed. The conditions are right for receiving the
seed and yielding a crop.
Now translate that
to our hearts and what does good soil look like? Good soil, (aka a good heart) looks like
someone who is broken. Someone who
realizes that everything God says is true and anything contrary is a lie. Someone who is not afraid to be made fun of
because they are a Christian and chooses to obey God’s word (even if they look
ridiculous to others). Someone who does
not get caught up in having things or finding contentment from money, but finds
joy and contentment in knowing God.
Someone who realizes that this world has left them empty time and time
again and all that they are looking for is found in Christ. This is someone who believes what God says
and bears fruit.
Then the Lord
pointed out to me, that in the story Jesus is the one spreading the seed. He is the one teaching others about our need
for the Lord. Many did not respond with
a good heart, but instead they rejected what He said or over time they fell
away. I began to realize that if Jesus,
God Himself, could have people respond that way to Him than how people respond
to me is not fully based on me, but on their heart. How freeing this was to realize. Yes, I need to speak as one speaking the very
words of God, need to speak the truth in love, and need to rely completely on
the Spirit for what to say. But even if
I do all those things, that doesn’t mean a sinner is going to fall on their
knees in repentance every single time and every believer I talk to is going to
serve the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. I do need to continue to sow the seed and
pray that the Lord would be preparing hearts so receive it.
