A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. Luke 6:45 (NKJV)
Jesus told a story called the Parable of the Sower to teach us a very important lesson. In fact, this lesson is so important that we can’t understand any of His lessons if we don’t get this one (Mark 4:13).
The parable describes four kinds of heart attitudes that prevail in people. Three of these attitudes can prevent us from receiving from God. Only one is a Christ-like attitude that allows God’s Word to produce a harvest of good things in our lives. You see, when people read or hear God’s Word, it seems to produce great things for some and not for others. It all depends on the preparation that they have done in their hearts.
In Jesus’ parable, a person is planting his fields. As he plants, his seed falls on four types of ground. The seed represents God’s Word and the four types of ground are the types of hearts people have when they receive it.
The first type was a hard-packed path; the seed was stolen by birds. The second type was stony without depth; the seed sprouted easily but withered. The third type also had weeds that choked out the plants before they could yield any crop. Finally, the fourth was good ground that yielded a huge harvest.
Would you like to have a huge harvest of God’s promises in your life? You can prepare your heart to receive and therefore produce the “good things” referred to in our verse today—health, prosperity, protection, great relationships and more, but it needs to be ongoing. Are you willing to take an honest look at your heart?