Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. (Luke 8:11-15)

Where Are You In God’s Garden?

The world is made up of more than seven billion people. Since the beginning of time, untold billions of people have walked on the face of the earth. Generations come and go, nations rise and fall, and the character of humanity remains unchanged. Jesus taught in parables to show the lessons of the divine for the heart of the carnal man. He spoke a parable about a sower who went out to sow his seed. Each seed fell on different types of the ground resulting in different results. The first seed fell on the ways but was soon taken away by the birds. Some seed fell among ground compacted with rocks and because there was no depth to the soil, the seed sprouted for a moment and then withered away; there was no moisture. The third seed fell among good ground but there were too many weeds and thorns to allow the seed to flourish. As the seed sprang forth and began to grow, so did the thorns and was soon choked out. Only the good ground broken up with rocks removed and diligently cleaned of thorns produced crops a hundredfold. These four types of ground represent the four types of hearts found among the billions of souls that reside on planet earth.

Jesus taught the multitudes there was one sower who sowed the good seed. The purpose of the sower was to raise a crop for the abundance of the harvest. God created man for His glory to enjoy the abundance of His grace. Sadly, three types of people will never know the joys what God has promised. In the garden of God’s creation, some have hardened hearts of sin that have no interest, curiosity, or desire to serve God. Like the first ground, their spirits are hardened and covered over with the pleasures of sin and the deception of Satan. They hear the word of God and they see the power of God’s presence in the world and take no note or respond. The devil seeks the billions of souls who have hardened hearts of carnal frivolity or religious error so that he can increase his wealth of damned souls. The majority of the seven billion-plus people in the world are described by the wayside soil. They will be lost.

The second group of people in the world is those who see and hear the grace of God and respond in some small way. They receive the word with joy acting religious and believing all they have to do for salvation is a belief in God. Their lives are filled with the world while they give a small measure of attention to religion. Nothing in their life shows the love of God or His teaching. With a small smattering of religious zeal, they portray to the world the belief that one can serve God and mammon at the same time. They maintain a veneer of faith until it becomes too burdensome to serve the Lord and they quit. Their hearts are not in it and because of temptation fall away. They are lost.

When the seed falls on the good ground there seems to be hope. Unlike the wayside or rocky ground, the good ground has potential and hope. The seed penetrates the ground and begins to grow. What makes the third ground tragic is the seed begins to grow as it should but then thorns and weeds begin to grow also. A natural course of nature is that thorns and weeds are easier to grow than a good crop. Most weeds can grow anywhere in almost any condition. Not so with a good seed. It takes a lot of nurturing and care. In time, without the devotion of removing the thorns, the good seed is overtaken and choked out. Life can be like that and more so for the people of God. If there is one constant danger for the Christian it is not the persecution of others or fear of retribution. The greatest cause of children of God losing their souls comes from the cares, riches, and pleasures of life choking their hearts to where they do not grow. This is no different than the wayside soil or the rocky soil because all three of the soils end in destruction. Three different types of hearts yet the same end. They are lost.

Out of the four grounds, only one is the way to peace and happiness. The good soil is one that has been broken up from the wayside condition, rocks removed, and continued devotion to keeping the thorns out. Life for the child of God must follow the same pattern. Hearts that are not broken up from the hardness of the world will never grow. If the rocks of carnality and earthly pleasures are not removed the can be no joy of salvation. One of the best tools of Satan is to allow God’s people to serve righteousness but with the burdens of the cares of life. They become ineffective and weak. When the soil is cultivated daily to keep the cares of the world away there will be growth. Hearing the word of God with a noble and good heart will bear incredible rewards in life. Keeping the word brings joy and happiness.

Only 25% of the hearts of people in the world will be saved. Out of four grounds, only one will find eternal life. In the garden of God’s grace as He has given to all men His beloved Son; only the good ground will find joy in the day of harvest. The lesson of Jesus is clear: you are one of these grounds. There is not the fifth ground. Only four. Which ground are you?