Luke 8: 4 - 15
This teaching of Jesus is known as the Parable of The Sower. When a farmer plants the seeds of the crop, it is called “sowing”. Today they have large machinery to accomplish this. Back in Jesus’ time, they sowed seeds by hand by dropping or throwing it onto the plowed ground.
The seeds would go everywhere, and where they landed played a big factor in how well they produced. Today let’s look at the seed that fell on the rocky ground (v. 6).
Those seeds that landed on the rocks ended up dying because they had no moisture. They would start to grow for a bit, but then dry up. The basic problem? No firm roots. (v. 13) Being too shallow, they could not soak up any lasting nourishment.
The seed here is as a picture for God’s Word (v. 11). The rocky ground are people that hear the good news of Jesus Christ, and initially believe. But because they don’t become firmly rooted in their faith, when times get tough and temptations come along, they fall away and their faith dies. v 13
Maybe you know someone like that. Perhaps you were the one to share Jesus with them, only to see them gradually wither in their faith. I grieve when I think of the many young people that I have seen begin good relationships with Jesus, only to drift from it and are suffering in their faith now. Apparently, their roots were too shallow.
Maybe you are one of those people that are like rocky ground. Perhaps you once heard the good news of Jesus and welcomed the planting of that seed him into your heart. But your faith has seen tough times, and it has been difficult to grow. It may be that your roots are just too shallow right now. Your faith may be in danger of dying!
How can this be turned around? Deeper roots are needed. The relationship with Jesus must be cultivated. “Dig” into the Bible. Pray daily. Worship regularly. Serve in some sort of way. These build stronger and deeper roots. Through this type of root system, there is access to the nourishment that your faith needs to grow.
If a friend’s faith has suffered from shallow roots, pray for them today. If you are the one in need of deeper roots, pray for God’s working in your heart that you will be lead to proper nourishment of your faith.