Hardened

A farmer went out to plant some seed.  As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds came and ate it” Lu.8:5 [emphasis added]

Jesus explained our Scripture reference today to mean, “The hard path where some seed fell represents the hard hearts of those who hear the words of God, but then the devil comes and steals the words away and prevents people from believing and being saved” Lu.8:12 [LB, emphasis added]. To understand the footpath, you have to look at it from a farmer’s perspective. The footpath is the trail the farmer takes when he is sowing seed or irrigating his farm. So it is usually narrow and hardened because the soil there has been compacted by the farmer’s feet.

Sometimes when he is scattering seed, some fall on that pathway. But because it is narrow and particularly hardened, the seed does not go into the soil. So it does not germinate and birds just come and pick it up. This is the problem with some of us. We have become narrow-minded. Our image of God is restricted and our hearts are hardened. And as a result, we cannot grow spiritually.

For you to grow spiritually, you must allow God to disabuse your mind. God cannot be put in a box. You should be flexible enough to allow God to mess with your theology. You need to understand that if you put God in a box, you cannot grow spiritually. God is not religious at all. In fact, religion by definition is man’s way to God. Christianity by origination is God’s way to man – complete opposite! So a lot of us are narrow minded and hardened like that footpath. And because of this, we cannot receive the seed [God’s Word]. The seed does not penetrate so it cannot germinate.

There are so many things around us today that make us closed and narrow. Systems particularly, some people are so stuck in “this is how we do it or this is how it is done” that they shut themselves out of the newness that God is birthing. At our Thrive sessions in God’s Favourite House for instance, for the first thirty minutes we say sit quietly and talk to God [pray]. Some people struggled with it because they thought we were trying to buy time. The truth is that they have put God and church in a box. If you come to God with a box- like approach, you will miss Him.

Prayer: Precious Spirit of God, please open me up to the newness of God each day so that I will not miss God, in Jesus Name.