The farmer may be shoveling snow or enjoying the warmth of a winter fire right now, but he's thinking ahead to spring planting. Already he's anticipating those days when he turns over the soil. He'll pull out rocks that have risen with the frost, spread the right fertilizers, and get the earth ready for the seed. He knows that the harder he prepares in the spring, the better his harvest will be.

Jesus used that kind of word picture in the parable of the sower. The seed is the Word of God, and the soil is our hearts. The "noble and good heart" (Lk. 8:15) receives the Word, retains it, and produces fruit.

How about our hearts? Are they prepared to receive the seed of God's Word? Or are there hindrances that keep it from growing and bearing fruit? Jesus identified three kinds of thorns that spring up and choke out the seed--"the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things" (Mk. 4:19).

If you've grown cold toward God's Word, if it's not firmly established in your life and producing fruit, it may be that you're too concerned about this world with its riches and distractions. Tear out those thorns! How much fruit you'll harvest depends on how well you prepare the soil.  — David C. Egner