It is possible to go to church every week for many years and not produce the spiritual results God desires. I make this statement not from observation alone, but also experience. While there are some areas in my own life where I’ve been fruitful, there are other areas where I could be more productive. This should frame the picture of the life of every believer: A work in progress! We choose daily to place ourselves on the Potter’s wheel—not as passive clay, but surrendered vessels—inviting His shaping hands to form us. I concur with the statement John Newton (The man who wrote Amazing Grace, mentioned in my former post) made here,
“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am”
~John Newton
If you’ve ever gone to church, heard the word, agreed with it, read your bible, and didn’t quite understand what it was asking you to do, listening to that biblically based podcast, yet still feel stuck—this message is for you. In the epistle to Colossians, Paul understood revelation was vital, not just education. It is good for us to know that understanding is not about intellect alone; our spirits must be illuminated, and the revelation of what’s being said comes in. The text of scripture I love most was when Jesus met the two men on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, and as He spoke the scripture to them, He opened their understanding, so that they could understand God’s truth. Being enlightened is a wonderful feeling. When words go out of our mouth, they function as seeds which can either take root in the heart of the person to whom we speak, or they can lie dormant, never taking root. Unless something more is done with that word, it remains fruitless.
“Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?” — Mark 4:13
Kingdom understanding is foundational—without it, every other truth remains misunderstood and remains fruitless.
Quick side note, when I was called to preach more than two decades ago, this was the first sermonette Pastor Burke of Good Faith Baptist Church assigned me to preach. He couldn’t have chosen a more potent verse for me to work on. This is the parable Jesus used to establish that the seed’s power is not in question—only the soil is. The word of God is the seed, and here are some examples of the types of hearts that sit in church every week, read the bible every week, listen to podcasts every week, but remain fruitless.
The Wayside (Hardened Heart)
These are the people who hear the word, but it never sinks in. The enemy immediately comes to snatch it away—like seed lying on a sidewalk. No root, no reception, no remembrance.
The Rocky Ground (Shallow Heart)
These individuals receive the word with joy and enthusiasm, but it’s all emotion. As soon as life gets hard or trials come, their faith withers because it had no depth—no root to hold it in place.
Among Thorns (Crowded Heart)
These hearts receive the word but are already full of competing priorities—worries, wealth, and worldly distractions. The word gets choked out, like a plant tangled in thorns. It cannot breathe, let alone grow.
The Good Soil (Prepared Heart)
This person hears the word, values it, and guards it. They don’t just listen—they hold onto it with a noble and good heart, applying it patiently and intentionally until it produces a harvest. We do have one final option. It’s not emotional; it’s the intentional heart. This person hears the word of God, hides it in their heart, guarding and keeping it to preserve and utilize it when it needs to produce fruit in their lives. So you see the difference isn’t found in what was sown, but the soul that received what was sown.
The soil is our responsibility. Adam was placed in a beautiful garden and given an assignment: “Work it and keep it!” We have the responsibility of cultivating and protecting that word, writing it on the tablets of our hearts. We’re in God’s field, and He expects us to be co-laborers with Him. The seed has always been and will always be perfect. It is up to us to make our hearts good soil that receives, waters, guards, and yields fruit with the things His word calls us to do. I have just one example to offer here. I’m not a gardener, but I do own a home. The lawn in front of my house reflects the care I give it—just like my heart demonstrates the condition of my spiritual life.. Either I will pay someone to come and care for my lawn (And they’ll only care for it to a certain extent). Or I will get out there and “work the ground.” I have to water the lawn quite often here in this Texas heat. I have to treat for weeds, and I need to keep my flower bed presentable. All of that is my responsibility. I can choose to have a raggedy lawn, which everyone shakes their head at when they walk past, which is unfruitful, or one that I can be proud of, and people like to stop and view. The curb appeal does not come automatically, neither does fruit in the kingdom—it takes intention.” We receive the word of God, and we have work to do to produce fruit that remains with it.
In today’s culture, we’re flooded with information, but we’re often starved for transformation. We consume podcasts, devotionals, and social media sermons, but rarely pause to ask God, “Let this word take root in me. I want to be good soil for this message that has been sown into my heart. Help me cultivate this Lord.” Our society is conditioned for speed, not necessarily depth, so we can be busy, but not get a lot done. It’s not about a quick scroll or listen with God’s word; we have to be willing to stop and sit with it long enough to be changed by it. We’re all being called deeper—into cultivation, not just consumption. It’s an invitation to be inspired—to transform into the new creature in Christ we were called to be, it’s willingness to join the journey of transformation God wants to do in us, trusting God is willing to shine the light in if we’ll till the soil.
Time of Reflection:
** It is up to me to choose if I will work with my heart issues to be good soil for God’s word.
** If I desire to understand God’s word, when I open it, I must choose to ask Him for revelation, not just information.
Heart-Probe-Question:
** Am I accessing my heart each time I hear God’s word? Stopping for a moment, not getting up and rushing past to the next thing, but saying a prayer and taking the notes so that His word can be hidden in my heart?
Scripture References:
Mark 4:13
Luke 8:13
Colossians 1:9–10
Genesis 2:15
1 Corinthians 3:9
2 Corinthians 4:3–4
Luke 24: 13-35
I am studying this chronological order from the “Chronological Bible.”
Closing prayer:
Lord, I don’t want to be a shallow hearer of Your word; I want to truly experience profound and fundamental transformation so I can live the life You sent Your Son Jesus to die for me to live. Move me past emotion and excitement in the moment and help me break up the fallow ground in my heart that causes Your word to be choked out most times I hear it, remove all the barriers, I give you permission to cultivate my soul and help me bear fruit for Your kingdom that remains, in Jesus name. Amen
