What is the relationship between your heart and God’s Word? In the parable found in Matthew, chapter 13; the takeaway is that we can know a lot about the heart of a person solely by how that person interacts with the Word of God. In this parable, Jesus addresses four types of hearers. Each of us should be able to see ourselves in one of these four types of hearers.

The message of this parable is cut and dry. It says, in effect, either you have a solid relationship with the Lord, or you don't, and that is reflected in your interaction with the Word of God. In other words, there is a dynamic chemistry that exists between God’s Word and the heart that God has changed.

In this parable, the seed fell upon four different kinds of ground. Some fell by the wayside, some in stony places, some among the thorns, and some into good ground. And it was the type of soil that determined what became of the seed.

If you plant good seed in good soil, you will get a good yield. If you plant good seed in bad soil, however, you won’t get a good yield. This is not to minimize the importance of a preacher’s ability to minister the Word of God effectively. But it does not matter how good his communication skills are, when he sows seed in the heart of a person whose heart is bad soil, the yield will be little if any.

In the parable, the Sower represents the preacher, the seed represents the Word of God, and the soil represents the heart of the listener. Of course, if you want to please the Lord, your heart must become like good soil so God's Word can be fruitful in you.