Be Still And Know

Matthew 13.23 NLT Jesus said, “The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” The parable of the sower mixes realism with huge encouragement. It confronts us with the fact that when the word of God is spoken there is a wide range of reactions. Some people just don’t want to know. Others are incredibly excited for a short while and then forget all about it. And yet others receive the word and start applying it to their lives in a serious way but are then distracted by the pressures and temptations of life. Anyone who has been involved in sharing the Good News of Jesus will recognise that all of that is an accurate reflection of life. However, and here’s the massive encouragement, when God’s word finds a home in the right soil it doesn’t merely cause growth to happen but leads to an enormous harvest. How amazing for a farmer to look at his crop and realise that this is 30,