| Mark 4:14-20 14 The sower sows the word.2 [The Greek for word in this verse is logon <3056>, which in English means: 1) of speech; 1a) a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea; 1b) what someone has said. This does not refer to hearing the Bible read; instead it refers to hearing Jesus speak to you from within your heart. The Word of God is the name of Jesus, and there is a small measure of the Word and light in every man's heart, which is there so that we might hear it and obey it; that is the word of faith that the Apostles preached. John 1:1-4, John 1:7,9, Rev 19:13-16,Rom 10:8,17, Deu 30:10-14, Eph 4:21. The words we hear and receive with meekness are engrafted into our heart. James 1:21. The words he speaks to us are Spirit and impart the life of God to us. John 6:63.] 15 Some are the people along the path where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 Others are the ones like the seed sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy, [There is little-to-no joy when you hear someone read the Bible; but when you hear the Lord speak to you, you have great joy!] 17 But have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time; afterward, when affliction or persecution rises for the word's sake, they are immediately offended. [Every believer who takes up the inward cross of self-denial will eventually undergo trials of their faith with affliction and persecution. Some will be offended and fall away, back into the world. "By your steadfast endurance do you possess your soul." Luke 21:19. You must endure to the end when you enter the kingdom while still on the earth. From the Word of the Lord within: "Accept everything; take offence at nothing; just sit and wait. We deliver."] 18 Others are like the seed sown among thorns, who hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 And there are those who are like seed sown on good ground, who hear the word and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty, and some a hundred times as much."] | Matthew 13:18-23 18 The Parable of the Sower Therefore hear the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word [spoken by the Spirit] about the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes, and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the way side. [The Greek for word in this verse is logov <3056>, which in English means: 1) of speech; 1a) a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea; 1b) what someone has said. This does not refer to hearing the Bible read; instead it refers to hearing Jesus speak to you from within your heart. The Word of God is the name of Jesus, and there is a small measure of the Word and light in every man's heart, which is there so that we might hear it and obey it; that is the word of faith that the Apostles preached. John 1:1-4, John 1:7,9, Rev 19:13-16,Rom 10:8,17, Deu 30:10-14, Eph 4:21. The words we hear and receive with meekness are engrafted into our heart. James 1:21. The words he speaks to us are Spirit and impart the life of God to us. John 6:63.] 20 And he who received the seed into stony places, the same is he who hears the word [spoken by the Spirit], and quickly with joy receives it; [When you hear the Lord speak to you, you have great joy!] 21 Yet has he no root in himself, but endures only for awhile; for when tribulation or persecution rises because of the word, he is eventually offended. [Tribulation, suffering, and persecution occur because a person endures in obeying "the word," which is the spoken words they hear, (spoken by the Lord to them), as they wait, watch, and listen. Every believer who takes up the inward cross of self-denial and endures for awhile will experience trials and tribulations with suffering and persecution; some will be offended, causing them to give up their enduring — they cease their first priority of obedient following and seeking of God to fall back into the ways of the world.] 22 He who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word; but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. [Others are distracted from their first priority of seeking of God by the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the pleasures of this life, and the lusts for other things. Realize that when you indulge in the pleasures of the world, even temporarily on a vacation, your motivation to stay faithful to the commands you have heard and your motivation to seek God are seriously weakened.] 23 But he who received seed into the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it; who bears fruit, some yielding a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown." [You can succeed by: 1) maintaining your hope through frequent reading of the promises in the scriptures and the success of others in the past, both of which are on this site, 2) maintaining a regular daily schedule for waiting on the Lord as much as possible, 3) staying obedient to any commands you have received from listening to Him, and 3) anticipating trials and tribulations, ready to consider them as joyful evidence of your progress and eventual salvation to come.] | Luke 8:11-15 11 Now the parable means this: The seed is the word of God.1 [The Greek for word in this verse is logov <3056>, which in English means: 1) of speech; 1a) a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea; 1b) what someone has said. This does not refer to hearing the Bible read; instead it refers to hearing Jesus speak to you from within your heart. The Word of God is the name of Jesus, and there is a small measure of the Word and light in every man's heart, which is there so that we might hear it and obey it; that is the word of faith that the Apostles preached. John 1:1-4, John 1:7,9, Rev 19:13-16,Rom 10:8,17, Deu 30:10-14, Eph 4:21. The words we hear and receive with meekness are engrafted into our heart. James 1:21. The words he speaks to us are Spirit and impart the life of God to us. John 6:63.] 12 Those by the wayside are those who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but they have no root. And although they believe for awhile, in time of testing [with affliction and persecution] they fall away. [When you hear the Lord speak to you, you have great joy! Every believer who takes up the inward cross of self-denial will eventually undergo trials of their faith with afflictions and persecutions — tribulations. As the great early Quaker, Isaac Penington wrote: "the way is long, the travel hard, the enemies and difficulties many." Some will be offended and fall away, back into the world.] 14 And that which fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go forth and are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.2 15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word, keep it in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with steadfast endurance. [Every believer who takes up the inward cross of self-denial will eventually undergo a trial of their faith with affliction and persecution. Some will be offended and fall away, back into the world. "By your steadfast endurance do you possess your soul." Luke 21:19. Those who endure and persevere to the end, when Christ comes to bruise the head of Satan under your feet, produce fruit to perfection, which honors and glorifies the Father.] | |||||||