August 2, 2016

GARDENING 101

Luke 8:1–15

Matt Clyde
Tuesday's Devo

August 2, 2016

Tuesday's Devo

August 2, 2016

Central Truth

Do you see fruit in your life? The fruit of a thriving relationship with Jesus is evidence of a heart transformed by the gospel. If you don't see that fruit, you need to check the state of your heart.   

 

Key Verse | Luke 8:8

"And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Luke 8:8)

Luke 8:1–15

Women Accompanying Jesus

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them 1 8:3 Some manuscripts him out of their means.

The Parable of the Sower

And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Footnotes

[1] 8:3 Some manuscripts him

Dive Deeper | Luke 8:1–15

Jesus loves everyone. Period. That is what the parable of the sower is all about. No matter the state of your "soil," Jesus is pursuing you and desires to have a deep relationship with you. Do you have ears to hear?

Jesus was speaking to a large group of people in Luke 8. Some wrote Jesus off as a lunatic and didn't give a second thought to what He was saying. Some were intrigued by what He was teaching and wanted to hear more.

Jesus knew the hearts of the people, so He used a parable to teach them about the state of their hearts. He compared their receptiveness to the Word of God to different types of soil. Some seeds fell on a path and were trampled, some fell among the rocks and thorns, and some fell on fertile ground. You don't see lush gardens in the middle of a foot-worn path or in the middle of a rocky field or in a briar patch. For a seed to grow, it needs to be fed and have fertile soil. In a similar way, a thriving relationship with Jesus needs to be fed by time in the Word and by encouragement from fellow believers.

I know this to be true in my own life. I can identify specific moments of disobedience, as a follower of Christ, when I was surrounded by "thorns" that prevented the growth of spiritual fruit. I allowed the thorns of this world (pride, materialism, lust, laziness, etc.) to entangle me and rob me of the joy that only Christ can provide. My life resembled the ground in verse 7. But when I've been at my lowest, God used His Word and specific people in my life to help correct the trajectory of my path (Hebrews 10:24, 3:13).

My prayer is that you would be able to identify the "soil" of your heart and surround yourself with people who will point you toward the true Sower of life.

Discussion Questions

1. Which type of soil from the passage do you best associate with? Why?

2. What is preventing your relationship with Jesus from being fruitful?

3. Do you have people in your life who encourage, motivate, and lovingly correct you when you get caught up in the "thorns" of the world?