WHAT IS YOUR HEART CONDITION?
- Key Verse
- And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest. (Luke 8:15, NLT)
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Central Truth
In Luke 8:1-15, Jesus uses a parable to tell us how important it is to keep our hearts in the right condition in order to hear God's Word and respond in obedience.
Reflections
More than a year ago, I was feeling some consistent chest pains so I went to visit my doctor. When I described the symptoms to her, she told me to go the hospital for some tests. They put me on a treadmill and ran a battery of other tests to see what the condition of my heart was. As it turned out, my heart was in great shape and the chest pains were just symptoms of stress and a lack of exercise. This experience caused me to think more carefully about the condition of my physical heart.The first parable in Luke 8 speaks to the condition of our heart in regards to hearing the Word of God. In this parable, we see that there are four different responses from people who hear the Word. It is interesting that in verse 15 we read the definition of “honest and good-hearted” which stands in direct contrast to the first three types of soil mentioned in the parable.
Compared to the hardened path, an honest and good heart is one that is soft and genuinely receiving. Living a life of repentance is key to having a receiving heart. Compared to the rocky soil which is shallow, a good heart is one that goes deeper. Through prayer, meditation, and authentic relationships, the heart is able to retain the Word. Finally, compared to the heart that is chocked out by the concerns of the world, a good heart is one that perseveres through difficulty (Although the NLT uses the word “patience”, it is more correctly translated “persevere”.). This is a heart that is not distracted and anxious, divided between God and the world. It is this group of people who are fruitful in the Kingdom of God.
As we examine each of them, we can see that even those who have been Christians for a while can exhibit any of these four conditions and they teach us the importance of keeping our heart in good condition.
Maybe it's time we all go to God for a heart examination.
Discussion Questions
1. As you read the conditions of each heart, where do you think your heart is at this moment?2. What are some adjustments you can make in your heart to be more responsive to God's Word?
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