“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. So what does this teach about how to be fruitful 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 hearts, which is meditation. Fifth, we need to persevere. We will encounter barriers and trials but that is just the nature of this present age. This is how to be fruitful. We persevere in following God’s words knowing he will keep his promises and we will live in the bliss of his presence one day.
Knowing how to be fruitful is a great encouragement. It allows us to 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!
