Hard Soil – Hard soil has been
trampled under foot and packed down. People can be hard soil
because they have hardened their heart or because God has
hardened it. In the case of Pharaoh, God hardened his heart
after Pharaoh hardened it. When scattering the seed, the
seed is wasted on hard soil as the birds eat it before it
can take root.
Shallow Soil – There are rocks
just beneath the surface of shallow soil. Plants can spring
up but they have no deep roots to support them. A plant may
be able to survive a long time with shallow roots but when a
drought strikes or a storm comes they are destined for
disaster. People who are shallow soil pop up at church until
trouble comes and then they disappear showing their faith to
be worthless in the end.
Weedy Soil – In weedy soil, a
plant takes root once again. Everything looks to be okay
until the cares of the world come. Cares take as many forms
as there are people, whether it be work, sports, family, or
sleep. Whatever the case may be, these people appear to be
genuine believers until something better comes along (or
something else that they believe demands more attention than
God.)
Looking for fruit
The first three soil types all fail to
produce what God is looking for, fruit. As Christians we
sometimes mistake seeing a plant as evidence of salvation.
People can make professions all they want, it doesn’t make
them a Christian. The adage, “actions speak louder than
words” rings true. God is looking for fruit and the only way
we can be sure of a true Christian is whether their life has
produced fruit. We can debate about good or bad soil and
whether a person can lose their salvation or if they are
eternally secure but the fact of the matter comes down to if
a person’s life does not show evidence of spiritual fruit,
they are in trouble.
Good Soil – When the seed falls
on good soil, it produces not only a plant but a plant that
produces fruit and bears a harvest many times what was
originally invested in it. A farmer would not plant a seed
if he did not expect to get back more than what was planted.
An investor would not invest if they did not plan on getting
a return for their money. Good seed produces a significant
crop. Not everyone produces the same amount. There are
Christians who are less productive than others – the most
important thing is that they are producing.
