Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “ ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ ” Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
—Mark 4:1-20

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One Seed, Four Soils
By Jennifer Kane

The seed fell, but found no place.
The seed sprang up too fast to last.
The seed grew where shadows dwell.
The seed sank deep in open earth.

Truth knocked, but the gate was shut.
Roots touched stone, not living well.
Roots wound round worry and wealth.
Roots stretched far with living thirst.

Birds circled low on hardened ground.
Sun scorched the shallow underneath.
Thorns rose tall with tangled teeth.
Sunlight warmed and rain released.

A whisper came, but wasn’t heard.
The joy was real, but quickly burned.
The word was choked, the fruit returned.
The word was kept, the harvest earned.

A heart unbroken, trampled tight.
A heart too thin to bear the weight.
A heart too crowded to give light.
A heart made soft by mercy’s might.

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Scripture: Mark 4:1-20

Jesus told the Parable of the Sower not just to describe different responses to the Word of God, but to invite us to examine the condition of our own hearts.

A hard heart, like the path, resists God’s Word. Truth cannot penetrate, and the enemy snatches it away before it can take hold.

A shallow heart, like the rocky ground, receives the Word with joy, but without depth. When trouble comes, faith withers because there’s no root.

An anxious heart, like the thorny ground, lets the Word in—but the worries of life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and desires for other things choke it out.

But the good soil—a soft, deep, surrendered heart—welcomes the Word. It not only hears but holds onto it, letting it dig deep, take root, and transform.

Which heart do I have today?
I long for a heart where God’s Word is not just heard, but multiplies—changing me and blessing others through me. I want to surrender my hardness, dig out the rocks of shallowness, and pull up the thorns of anxiety and distraction.

To do that, I must be intentional:
Plow up the hard ground through repentance.
Dig deep in God’s Word through study and meditation.
Pull the weeds of fear and distraction through prayer and trust.
Water the soil by staying connected to God’s Spirit and His people.

Ask God to reveal your heart condition. Where is it hard, shallow, or anxious? Invite Him to make your heart soft and deep, ready for His Word. Read Mark 4:1–20 slowly, and pray verse 20 into your life:
“Lord, make my heart good soil. Let Your Word grow in me and multiply for Your glory.”

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Father, You are the Sower and the Gardener of my soul. Break up any hard places in my heart. Give me depth, endurance, and focus. Pull out the weeds of distraction and fear. I want to receive Your Word deeply—so it bears fruit not only in me, but through me. Thank you Jesus, for teaching me, help me listen well, Amen.

April 30 2025