SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/30/2022 9:51 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
“The Unresponsive Hearer”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
13:19
Message of the verse: “19 "When
anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one
comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on
whom seed was sown beside the road.”
Let us look again at verse four: “4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell
beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.” It makes sense that if the birds ate up this
seed that fell beside the road that the soil that was beside the road was
hard-packed and thus it was not going to go down into that soil in order to
produce anything. This soil represents
the person who hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it. Now the reason that he does not understand it
is not due to any deficiency in the message but it is because of his own hard
heart, as his heart is as hard as the soil beside the road. In the Old Testament refers to this person as
stiff-necked. This person is unconcerned
with the things of God, and he is completely indifferent to anything
spiritual. I suppose that if we desire
to spread the seed of the gospel we will have run into people like this. The seed is correct if it is told correctly
but the soil it lands on is hard hearted and cannot penetrate.
There
is a reason for this type of person’s heart which is explained in the last part
of this verse: the evil one comes
and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This person lacks repentance or any sense of
guilt and shame insulates him from God’s help and thus leaves him utterly
exposed to the attacks of the evil one.
His heart has never been softened by remorse, it has never been broken
up by conviction of sin, it has never been cultivated by the smallest desire
for anything good, pure or holy.
There
are several verses in the book of Proverbs that describes this person. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
knowledge; Fools despise
wisdom and instruction” (Pr. 1:7).
“The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands”
(Pr. 14:1). This person could be
described as a “know it all,” as he is self-sufficient, self-satisfied, and
often self-righteous, (notice the word self).
Let us look at 2 Cor. 4:4 “in whose case the god of this world has
blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of
the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
We
will end this SD by looking at how the evil one uses many means as he snatches
away what has been sown in his heart. In
Luke’s gospel he adds that some seed was trampled under the feet of those who
walk the hard path “"The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed,
some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up”
(Luke 8:5). “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has
trampled under foot
the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which
he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Heb. 10:29).
MacArthur concludes “Satan constantly uses ride to
blind people to their sinful condition and need of salvation. He makes them believe they are not really so
bad, or that, if they do need improvement, they can improve themselves. He uses doubt, prejudice, stubbornness,
procrastination, love of the world, love of sin, and every combination of those
ploys.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I suppose that it can be true that a believer’s
heart can get hardened and cause sin in their life. However that is different than the person who
has never accepted the forgiveness that the Lord Jesus offers and He took our
place on the cross, but one surely has to accept that forgiveness.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to fight the good fight as Paul
tells Timothy.
3/30/2022 10:24 AM
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