January 8, 2021

“A Matter of the Heart”

This coming Sunday, I’ll be teaching out of the parable many call, “The Parable of the Four Soils.”  Jesus used parables to teach His followers certain things about God’s kingdom. In this particular parable, He taught how the kingdom of God both starts and grows in our lives. In a nutshell, Jesus said it was all a “matter of the heart.” Here’s the passage from Matthew 13:1-8:  

Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake.  A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore.  He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds.  As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them.  Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.  But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died.  Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants.  Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!

When I read this parable, I’m always stirred by the same question – “Which of these soils describes my heart right now?”

On Sunday, we’ll all have the opportunity to ponder and answer that question. I hope you can be with us either online or in-person.

Gratefully yours,

pastor jamie