S143P7 – The fruit of truth: good soil
Lk. 8:15
As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
The parable of the sower delivers us an interesting point that I think we often overlook. This man dropped the seeds on all types of soil. He did not look specifically for the good ground. He gave all the soil a chance to grow fruit. We know the seed is the word of God, which tells us that no one misses out on salvation for lack of hearing the word. The barrier to entry in the kingdom lies in the soil. More specifically, this portion of the passage tells us where we find the deficiency in the soil. It is within the heart, and only an honest heart can accept the word. The paradox seems to be that the honest and good heart is one that first must be submitted to God.
This actually is not a paradox at all. What Jesus is talking about is the listener’s response to the word, and something is happening simultaneously here. Accepting the word of God transforms the heart, and this creates the good soil necessary for the seed to take root and bear fruit. That transformation, if honest and genuine, is what creates the good soil. Bear in mind that some will hear the word and believe for a time, but the worries and pleasures and riches of this life will snuff out that word in them. [v. 14] They will appear to have accepted the word, but their soil never became good. The transformation was not genuine. Their hearts did not become honest and good.
Our desire and ability to love God and draw near to him exist only because He first loved us and drew us. That does not mean, however, that we play no role in this drama. At some point, we must choose to be honest with the Lord and to seek him genuinely. At some point, we must yield to true transformation. The result of this is that we become fertile ground for the work of God to have its way and produce whatever miraculous fruit He desires. We cannot hold back. We must abandon all pretense. Only an honest heart will do. Father, give us what we need to keep our hearts honest and keep our soil good and fertile.