Luke 8:5-8 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still, other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Luke 8:11-15 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God, 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing, they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on the good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
These passages should make us stop and look inward. So many people who are going through the motions of belief. There is no fertile soil for the crop to grow. There are a lot of people who simply do not and will not believe the gospel, and these passages tell us exactly what happens. The devil our adversary comes and before anything can take root he snatches the seed (word of God) from their hearts. There was no time for the seed to settle and begin to grow. The devil is always out stalking his prey, looking for those he can trip up, steal from. He is crafty in his approaches. These people are (Path) people of the story.

We next move onto the Rock people. In this case, the seed falls on the rocky ground. These people hung around Jesus, followed him and listened to what he said, like many people today, they come to church, sit on the pews, hear the word, enjoy “church folk ” and move on. It isn’t that they do not believe it is true, they simply choose not to act on it, therefore leaving them in an unsaved condition. It isn’t enough to be joyful in the hearing and know it is true if we do not act on the truth.

We then move to people who are “Thorn Patch” people. These are the ones who hear the word, they know it is true, but life hands them worries and challenges that steal and kill the seed that they had received. The lure of materialism chokes out what they have heard. They have no room for God because of all the other junk that they have and worry about. Their lives are so full that God is left out and never thought about. They cannot see their need for him.

Lastly, we come to the “Good Soil” folks. These are the ones who have heard the word and received it with gladness. They follow Jesus no matter what life hands them. Through trials and testing, joy and sorrow they persevere and continue in the faith. Life cannot do anything to them to make them turn away from the life-giving salvation found in Jesus. Theirs is genuine faith, with roots that run deep into their hearts and souls. These folks hear the word and it stays with them, growing, shaping and growing them as they traverse this life with all it gives them. And as they continue in the faith not only does the seed (word) grow, it becomes this huge crop. Their foundation is sure, their hearts are steady, their faith unwavering.

So, what kind of soil are you? I pray you are the fertile soil, you have heard the word and believed and your roots are deep and watered often. (Read and pray)
Maybe you find yourself in one of the other categories, today could be the day of salvation for you. Look deep into your heart, do you believe, or are you simply going through the motions of a believer, church attendance, or maybe you think that just being around “church folks” will cut it, sadly my friend that is a lie? No one else can save you, it does not rub off on you if you hang with the right crowd. No one can repent of your sins, no one else can ask Jesus into your heart. This is a very personal act that you do alone. The place is not important, your sincerity is! And Jesus knows if you are sincere. Nothing you do can save you, it is not about being good enough or doing a certain act to be saved.

Jesus took our sin on the cross, we could not save ourselves. He was sinless and became sin for you and I.

Romans 10:9-10 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your (heart) that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 ” For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”