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Four Kinds of Hearts

Matthew 13:3-8, NIV


3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop?봞 hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

It is very important to safely guard our heart throughout life, because the source of life stems from the heart (Pr 4:23). Jesus taught His disciples about four kinds of hearts through the parable of the sower.


1. The heart along the path (v.4).

The heart along the path is a hardened heart. Those who have a heart like seed fallen along the path do not accept the Word of God, and they are neither changed nor inspired by the Gospel (Mt 13:19). Moreover, since they do not receive the Word of God by faith but by knowledge, they do not understand it (Isa 55:8-9). Just as birds come and eat up the seed, Satan takes away the opportunity of grace from those who have a heart like seed fallen along the path. Therefore, their hardened hearts must be plowed by repenting, so that they can have gentle hearts, and be willing to accept the grace and Word of the Lord (Heb 3:15; Hos 10:12).

2. The heart on rocky places (vv.5-6).

The problem of the heart on rocky places is that it is not rooted in the Word (Mt 13:20-21), so when it faces hardship and trouble, it cannot overcome them. Since there are rocks in hearts like this, their faith cannot be rooted. They must find the rocks that press and depress their hearts, and sift them out with the power of the Cross of Jesus. When they sift out the rocks from their hearts with the grace of the Lord, they can be rooted in the Word and live a victorious life by faith (Col 2:6-7).

3. The heart among thorns (v.7).

Since thorns grow and multiply more strongly than grain, they take away the nutrition from the grain, and block out the sunlight necessary for grain to grow. The heart among thorns has a lot of worry and is easily tempted by money. Since the heart is filled with the world, it cannot bear fruit (1Jn 2:16) However, our Lord is Jesus Christ (Mt 6:24). With the fire of the Holy Spirit, I pray that you will burn the thorns of anxiety, temptations of the world, and the greed for materials. Look to the Lord alone, and live according to the truth (Mt 6:33).

4. The heart on good soil (v.8).

The heart on good soil is one of true faith, controlled by the Holy Spirit, and one that hears and understands the Word (Lk 8:15). It is a gentle heart, like well-cultivated land (Eze 11:19). That is why those who have a heart on good soil humbly receive the Word, act in accordance with the Word and with the help of the Holy Spirit, and bear good fruit. When we practice the Word of the Lord, we can experience its true value and changes in our lives. We can bear much fruit when we apply the Word to our lives.

I pray that you will plant the Word of God in a heart of good soil, and fill your lives with the good fruit of God, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and the fruit of blessings.