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RESPONDING TO GOD’S WORD

Don’t we all have trouble staying focused? We struggle against straying thoughts, to just listen and think quietly? What is the state of our heart when reading the Bible?

Jesus spoke to the crowd of the parable of the sower to illustrate the four different responses of people who hear ‘the word of the kingdom’ (Matthew 13:18-19):

 There are those who hear and lack understanding (v19, the one that fell along the road);
 Those who hear and rejoice for a while but fail to accept that faith is not without challenges (v20, the one on rocky ground);
 Those who hear but are crowded out by thoughts of worries and wealth (v22, the one among the thorns);
 Those who hear and understand and bear fruit (v23, the one on good soil).

Jesus taught the parable of the sower to teach how important the state of our heart is when receiving the word. How do we apply the Lord’s call for “he who has ears let him hear” (v9)? In contrast to the crowd who merely heard the parables, the disciples sought the Lord for insight on meaning and purpose (v10, 36). The best benefits from the word of God may be reaped by tuning out our distractions and tuning in to the Lord to ponder over the word. “Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of captivity soon disappears.” (v12, MSG)

Understanding of the word goes beyond mere comprehension, but rather it is grace bestowed by God. Jesus made it clear that the disciples’ understanding of spiritual truths was their privilege – “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them.” (v11, MSG)

Sometimes, our motivation to study God’s word comes from being involved in sharing the word with others. Our desire to gain sound spiritual insights from the word comes because we are participating in sowing the word. We note how the disciples served alongside the Lord, and turned to him constantly for teaching and revelation. Likewise, we ask the Lord to teach us from his word, so that the word be formed in us as we seek to share it with others. Then will we be blessed to see the bountiful harvest from the seed of God’s word sown.

Looking for how to grow in learning from the word of God? The parable of the sower instructs us to check our hearts for distractions as we meditate on the word. Like the disciples, seek to share from the sound understanding of the word at every opportunity. While we do this, remember that it is God himself who initiates in us the understanding of his word.