Central Truth

God wants to reveal his truth to us. If we make time to listen carefully, we will gain wisdom. If we fail to listen to God, other voices will lead us astray.
God will reveal truth to us in proportion to the amount of time we spend studying and listening.

Reflections

Some people say the Bible is hard to understand. Do you?

Why would God want to hide His truth from His children?

In this chapter, Jesus speaks in parables to His disciples and then explains their meaning. He talks about the different types of soils. The soils represent the different attitudes we have in response to hearing God’s word. We can be receptive, study diligently, and allow His Word to take root and produce fruit in our lives, or we can be shallow, listening half-heartedly, and quickly forget what we hear by allowing the cares of this world to consume us.

Jesus clearly states (v. 24) that if we listen we will gain understanding. The more time and effort we put into studying God’s word, the more truth God will reveal to us. This is a classic application of the law of sowing and reaping.

When I read my Bible, first I find a quiet spot and say a short prayer asking God to open my mind so I can hear what He has to say to me. This prepares my mind and my heart to receive. Then I read the passage and ask what it means to me personally. I have often found that as I reread passages of scripture, the Holy Spirit reveals new meanings each time. This is called meditation – thinking about a particular passage for a given amount of time. Sometimes, I meditate on a passage for an entire year, until it sinks deep into my mind and heart.  I am continually amazed by the new applications of scripture in the various situations in my life.

If we want to understand more about God and His kingdom, it is not difficult. All we have to do is spend more time studying and listening to the Word in whatever format we find useful. It could be a CD, a book, or a Bible with a good translation and footnotes. Read a particular passage and study it for a week. 

You will be amazed at the fruit that will start appearing in every area of your life.

Discussion Questions

1.     Do you think God’s word is clear? Why or why not?

2.     What kind of soil are you when it comes to retaining God’s truth?

3.     How much time and effort do you put into reading the Word?

4.     What simple steps can you take to listen better?