Luke 8:5-15 - How Is Your Heart?

Luke 8:11 (KJV)  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Luke 8:12 (KJV)  Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the
devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should
believe and be saved.
Luke 8:13 (KJV)  They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive
the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in
time of temptation fall away.
Luke 8:14 (KJV)  And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they
have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of
this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
Luke 8:15 (KJV)  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest
and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with
patience.

Usually known as the Parable of the Sower, it could better be called the
Parable of the Soils. [Wycliffe Bible Commentary]

The word "hear" is used nine times in these verses, for it is by our hearing
that we take the Word into our hearts where it can create faith (Rom.
10:17). The Word is like seed because it has life in it and can produce
fruit when it is planted (received and understood). The human heart is like
soil and must be prepared if the Word is to be planted and fruitful.
[Wiersbe Expository Outlines]

That some of the seed produced no crop was not the fault of the faithful
farmer or of the seed. The yield depended on the condition of the soil where
the seed fell.... "Path" people, like many of the religious leaders, refused
to believe God's message. "Rock" people, like many in the crowds who
followed Jesus, believed his message but never got around to doing anything
about it. "Thorn patch" people, overcome by worries and the lure of
materialism, left no room in their lives for God. "Good soil" people, in
contrast to all the other groups, followed Jesus no matter what the cost.
Which type of soil are you? [Life Application SB]

The fate of the word of God depends on the heart into which it is sown.
(a) The hard path represents the shut mind, the mind which refuses to take
it in.
(b) The shallow ground represents those who accept the word but who never
think it out and never realize its consequences and who therefore collapse
when the strain comes.
(c) The thorny ground stands for those whose lives are so busy that the
things of God get crowded out. We must ever remember that the things which
crowd out the highest need not necessarily be bad. The worst enemy of the
best is the second best.
(d) The good ground stands for the good heart. The good hearer does three
things. First, he listens attentively. Second, he keeps what he hears in his
mind and heart and thinks over it until he discovers its meaning for
himself. Third, he acts upon it. He translates what he has heard into
action. [Barclay Commentary]

Only when I reach the point where I solemnly place great store upon what he
says will it ever become a powerful force in my life.
Only when I really take Him seriously will His word be made Spirit and life
(supernatural life) to me.
Only when I recognize that what I am hearing is in fact and in truth divine
revelation designed by deity for my own good, will I hear it as a word from
above.
God has chosen to articulate Himself to me as a man in four ways: through
the natural created universe around me; through His word expressed by
inspired men who reported it in human language I can read and understand;
through the person of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, exemplified in
human form; through those other men and women in whom He deigns to reside by
His own Gracious Spirit.
He may speak to me deliberately and distinctly through any one or all of
these ways. It is my responsibility then to recognize: "O God, You are
communicating with me. I will listen. I do recognize Your voice communing
with me.". . .
I must set aside whatever else preoccupies my thoughts and give my undivided
attention to the Lord.
It is not good enough to "half listen" to God. He demands my total
concentration on what He is conveying to me. He knows that anything less
will leave me half-hearted....
My positive response results in immediate action on my part. His will is
done. His wishes are carried out. His desires are complied with happily His
commands are executed without delay or debate.
In short I simply do what He asks me to do.
This is faith in action-the faith of obedience.
This is the gateway into the good ground of God's garden.
This is to "hear" the Word and have it come alive.
This is to have Him implant the good seed of His good intentions for me in
the good, warm, open, prepared soil of my responsive soul.
The seed will germinate. The young plants will prosper and grow vigorously.
There will be fruit production of His choosing-a harvest that delights Him
and refreshes others. (From A Gardener Looks at the Fruits of the spirit by
Phillip Keller) [Inspirational SB]

Seeds Tell The Truth
Seeds are very interesting little things. Did you know that seeds tell us a
very important story? Suppose you plant some seeds and you don't know what
they are. When they produce plants, you can tell what kind of seeds they
were. Seeds come in all sizes. The Bible talks about the mustard seed (see
Mark 4:31, 32) as being the smallest of the seeds, yet it grows into a big
plant.
I remember when I was a boy my grandmother asked me to help her plant some
seeds in our garden. I said OK, so she gave me a package of squash seeds and
asked me to plant these seeds in hills, three seeds in a hill. Then I was to
cover them lightly with soil. I started down the row. I would mound up the
dirt, then dig a hole in it, put in three seeds, cover them up lightly, and
then go on to the next one. It was a long row. By the time I reached the end
of the row I was tired of bending over. I still had quite a few seeds and
should have started another row, but instead I just dumped the rest of the
seeds into the hole and covered them up, thinking, Grandma will never know.
Days went by, and with Grandmother's watering and the sunshine, the seeds
began to sprout. You can imagine my surprise when she asked me to come to
the garden and showed me that hill where I dumped the last of the seeds.
There were not just three little plants but a whole bunch. She scolded me
and told me that these little plants told her the whole story. She knew what
I had done.
God's Word is like seeds. If we put only a little of it into our lives
people will be able to tell because only a little will show. But if we put a
lot of God's Word into our lives much will show, and people will know that
we spend time with God and His Word. God's promises in His Word and other
great truths and counsels are to help us on the path toward heaven. We'll
know which path to take. Pray today that God's Word will grow in your life,
and you will know which path to take - the one that leads to heaven.
[Talking Trees & Singing Whales by Charles C. Case]