As I was reading this morning, I was once again struck by Jesus’ story of the sower in Mark 4:1-20. This passage seems to grab ahold of me every time I read it.

Two main points stand out in this parable. First, Jesus categorizes people into two simple categories in this story: those who bear fruit in response to God’s word and those who don’t. That’s it. Simple enough. On a personal note, let me say here how thankful I am for God’s grace. I am blown away both by God’s invitation to be a fruitful person in his kingdom and by his goodness in loving me through what often feels like a very marginally fruitful life.

Second, in his explanation to the disciples, Jesus offers three general areas that prevent us from being fruitful in response to God’s word. If you’re at all interested in living a fruitful life, these are worth noting:

1. Distractions, negligence, apathy. The word is presented and/or heard, but that’s it. It goes nowhere. Satan takes the seed of God’s word away without the hearer even noticing. End of story. Obviously, if we realized the treasure of God’s word, we wouldn’t allow the devil (who is so inferior to God they’re not comparable) to take it from us. But as long as we’re distracted, negligent, or apathetic, God’s word can be stolen from us without a fight. Look for this to happen in any case where God’s word has little perceived value to the hearer.
2. Outward pressure. As soon as we experience any pushback from our family or friends, our extended “neighbors”, or our surrounding culture, we cave. We fall away. The word has no bearing and bears no fruit in us.
3. Inward desires. Maybe we genuinely value God’s word. Maybe we are strong enough to withstand the onslaught of the world around us. What still remains to be seen is what we want the most. What happens if God’s word runs contrary to our own wants and desires and dreams. What then? Jesus warns that for many, inward desires will render us unfruitful regarding God’s word to us.

So there you have it – God’s word to you from Mark 4. Now it’s your story. It’s a story still unfolding. The question for each of us: How will we emerge from within it?