Read Mark 4:8,20
I Wonder If I Look Like Jesus To Others!?!
Today we finish up with the parable of the sower who is planting seeds amongst the four kinds of soils. We already talked about the first three soils: hard soil, rocky soil, and the soil with thorns. The last soil the seed falls upon is the GOOD SOIL!
Vs 8: When the seed fell on the good soil, something happened. The seed grew up, and increased. The soil yielded a crop and produced a lot – like 30, 60, or 100 fold.
Vs 20: Jesus explains the parable as it relates to the GOOD SOIL. The good soil represents a person whose heart is totally open to hear what God has to say and as a result their life is transformed. They hear God’s word. They accept it. And they act upon it. As a result they produce a crop of souls – souls whose hearts are challenged or changed for Jesus.
What does this type of life look like?
1. Those who hear and receive God’s word do not want to keep it to themselves in silence.
2. They actually can’t contain themselves. They have an urge to share Jesus with others with a love like no other.
3. They love people in situations nobody else would.
When I was in 10th grade, near the end of the school year, 11th and 12th graders had a prom they attended. A 10th grader couldn’t go unless they were asked. I was late finishing my lunch at school, so I was sitting by myself. An 11th grader, who I knew, but wasn’t really friends with, came and sat across from me. We had small talk and then she asked me if I would go to the prom with her. Her name was Kim. Inside, I was flattered. But deep inside, I’m screaming no way. This was Kim, a girl with a bad reputation, and the rumor was, she was pregnant. That was not the type of girl I wanted to be associated with. Perhaps, Jesus was looking at me and saying, my lack of love is not what He wants to be associated with.
I told Kim I would have to ask my parents. The next day I told her I couldn’t go because they said I was too young. That was a lie.
You understand the regret I have of this. What an opportunity I had to love this girl who is hurting inside and wanting someone to love her. Just to be friends with her. And she associated me as somebody who was kind and loving, and I let her down and I let the Lord down.
Someone with a good soil heart looks beyond what everybody else is going to think, regardless of the person’s reputation.
4. A good soil person wants to establish themselves as a person of love which others can see and experience so that when you share the good news of Jesus with them through your mouth, the people have something that they can associate this Love too. They associate it with Jesus which is positive.
If we demonstrate Love like Jesus that’s inviting, without compromising, then others will see Christianity as a positive thing and attractive, and inviting.
However, if they see Christianity as a condemning thing where we reject others, then when they hear the good news of Jesus through our mouths, they’ll want nothing to do with it because they associate Jesus as a person who is evil, non-loving, and condemning of others.
Lord, I pray you help me have your heart so that my love is unconditional toward others and promotes a loving Jesus rather than a condemning and rejecting Jesus.
