Jesus and the disciples went from town to town proclaiming the Good News as explained in Luke 8:1-21. Some of the disciples had left fairly lucrative businesses but now were living day by day with whatever support they could get. Some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases also came with them to help support them (v. 3).

In each town, large crowds would gather around Jesus. He would teach by telling parables so the people could understand. The parable of the four soils was told because most of the people in the area were familiar with agriculture. The purpose of this parable was to explain how God’s Word has power and can produce spiritual fruit. It is like seed and the most important aspect of planting seeds are that they are planted in good soil.

In order for God’s word to grow and be productive in the lives of people, the heart must be ready to hear, retain, and persevere; they must be ready to listen and apply what is taught. When the Word of God is put into practice, lives become productive in a similar fashion to producing a banner crop in agriculture.

It is the same with each of us today. Our heart must be ready to accept God’s Word and in order to get it ready, one thought is to find ways to memorize scripture in our daily activities. Many times, we get into traffic while trying to get to our destination and it can be frustrating. This is a good time to memorize scripture. While waiting for the light to change green, recite a verse in your mind.

On the job, we have to solve problems. There are many lessons in God’s Word or scriptures we can memorize that can prepare our hearts and minds to solve difficult problems. At home, we are constantly making decisions. Some of these decisions may include how to budget our money, what to buy, what to make for dinner, what to wear, chores to be done, priorities, etc. so lessons from God’s Word and specific scripture can be used to help with these decisions.

By spending time with God in prayer, our minds are opened to His help and direction but we must have a responsive heart by listening attentively and cooperating as He guides us in our daily living.

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Lord, today, we pray for your help in learning and applying Your principles because then we are productive. Help us to understand your principles in the Bible; prepare our hearts to be receptive to Your Word. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.