What Type Of Soil Are You?

“The sower soweth the word” (Mk. 4:14).

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER
Most of us have heard the parable of the sower. I believe it is just as difficult now as it was then to grasp this parable’s implications. We often refer to this parable as the “Parable of the Sower,” but I believe this parable focuses more so on the types of soil wherein the seed is sown. It would not be wrong for us to refer to this as the “Parable of the Soil.” All of us are a certain type of soil. There is certain soil that will yield fruit, and there is some soil where the word of God cannot grow at all or at least cannot grow as it should.

Many people look at this parable and see four different types of soil, but I would like for us to see six different types of soil. I do not believe that you are predestined to be a certain type of soil, and that is all you can ever be. To whatever degree you are willing to surrender your heart and life to the Lord is the degree to which you can produce fruit. So while we are writing concerning the commonly taught parable of the sower, I want you to focus more on what kind of soil you are.

WHAT IS A PARABLE?
In the Greek, the word parable is parabole which literally means “a throwing beside or placing one thing by the side of another.” In the parables that Christ gives, we find that He lays a natural illustration alongside a spiritual truth to provide revelation to hearts diligently seeking Him. A parable provides the individual with a mental picture of an inward spiritual reality. Jesus used parables to conceal and to reveal truth. When you first hear the parable, you do not have to understand it right away. The disciples did not understand this parable right away. They asked Jesus what He meant, and that’s what He was looking for: hearts that desired to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Do you desire to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God?

WHAT TYPE OF SOIL ARE YOU?
Jesus shows us that there are six different types of soil. Really, the soil is compared to the heart of man. This does not refer to the physical heart, but rather the spiritual makeup of man. The six soils can be viewed this way:

1. Those that fall by the wayside. Refers to those who hear the Word of God but immediately have the word taken from them. They are never saved.

2. Those that fall on stony ground or rocky ground. Refers to those who hear the Word of God and continue with God for a season of time, but persecution destroys their faith.

3. Those that are sown among thorns: Refers to those who accept the Word, but the cares of the world and the desire of riches choke the word and produces no fruit.

4. Good ground that produces a thirtyfold return. This is when the Word of God is sown into good ground, yet only produces a limited return of fruit.

5. Good ground that produces a sixtyfold return. This is when the word of God sown on good ground brings forth a little bit more fruit than the first but not quite as much as it could.

6. Good ground that produces a hundredfold return. This is the kind of ground that you want to be. This is the soil of the human heart that can produce the most productive growth.

Good ground is good ground and any fruit coming forth out of the human heart is a good thing. But why produce thirtyfold when you could bring forth a hundredfold return? Why limit what God can do in your heart? I believe that we all have the potential to be every type of ground mentioned here, but I do not believe that we are limited to any certain type of ground. So today, I urge you to desire to be that type of ground that produces all that God wants to produce in your life.

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Parisragan1

Paris, accompanied by his wife Marybeth, coordinates and oversees <a href="https://gabrielswaggart.org/crossfire/unite">Crossfire Unite</a> fellowship groups. He is a regular teacher on SBN’s “<a href="https://gabrielswaggart.org/crossfire/gotc">Generation of the Cross</a>” with Gabriel Swaggart. Paris is a workshop instructor and assists with Church Needs for the <a href="https://gabrielswaggart.org/iyc">International Youth Conference</a>, and he has been an evening professor at <a href="https://jsbc.edu" target="_blank">Jimmy Swaggart Bible College</a> since the spring of 2017. He oversees all Crossfire Unite Student Outreaches. Paris also contributes writings to the <a href="https://gabrielswaggart.org/crossfire/blog?author=paris%20ragan">Crossfire Blog</a>.

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