The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it. Matthew 13:20–21 (MSG)
For the past two days, we have been discussing Jesus’ Parable of the Sower, in which Jesus taught about the four kinds of heart attitudes people can have as they are exposed to God’s Word. The first I call Fence Riders. Instead of pursuing God, people with this attitude want to know which rules they can break and get away with.
The second kind of heart attitude I call the Low Pain Tolerance heart. When the seed was planted on this stony ground, it sprang up quickly, but a bit of heat from the sun easily withered it because the roots didn’t have any depth.
When behaving with this type of attitude, people start out okay but don’t persevere through difficult times. When friends make fun of their beliefs or co-workers say things about them because they go to church, they fold under the pressure.
We will all go through times when it would seem easier to walk away from our faith. Things will push at us and people may talk, but we need to stick it out and keep going. God gives you the strength when public opinion turns against you, or the going gets tough or you are believing for miracles that aren’t yet happening.
Don’t allow your heart to run from pain. Hang in there because God’s Word is true and it never returns void. God will never fail you.