“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold….”

– Luke 8:5-8

The sower may do his work well, the seed (the Word of God) is perfect, but the difficulty of receiving the Word is in the soil. How do we receive the Truth? The birds of worldliness steal away the seed before it germinates. Lack of meditation means lack of understanding. “Other” interests, like thorns, choke the Word. Active minds, pure hearts and holy living are absolutely necessary to understand, appreciate, and appropriate the saving Truth. Minds that are full of gimcracks cannot become thoroughly furnished unto good works – make room for the Truth by giving Him first place – all the place. We cannot receive more truth until we have lived the truth we now have to the best of our ability. The same SEED that failed to produce in three of the soils produced a hundredfold on the good ground. What a responsibility it is to HEAR: to receive His Word; and what a blessing.

Rev. H. D. Hoover, D.D, Ph.D., S.T.D.