“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Luke 8:15 (NIV) This is Jesus’ promise at the end of the parable of the sower. The seeds that fell on good soil produced a huge harvest “a hundred times more than was sown.” We all want to live fruitful lives for God and produce as much as God allows us to produce. So how do we bear a bumper crop for God? This verse mentions five responsibilities. First, have a noble heart. That is, we desire what is excellent and honorable. Second, we have a good heart. That is, our heart actually embraces and abides in good. Third, we hear the word. So we need to expose ourselves to God’s word. Fourth, we retain God’s words. Thus, we need to believe God’s words and keep them continually on our heart. Fifth, we need to persevere. We will encounter barriers and trials but that is just the nature of this present age. So we persevere in following God’s words knowing that he will keep his promises and that we will live in the bliss of his presence one day.
In this way we will be one of those people in the kingdom of God who produced a hundredfold more than what God planted in us. We will rejoice in this forever!
