DEALING WITH OUR HEART FOR THE GROWTH IN LIFE

DEALING WITH OUR HEART FOR THE GROWTH OF LIFE

In Matthew 13:1-23 the Lord presented the parable of the sower as a portrait of the growth of life, classifying human beings into four categories. This parable speaks of four kinds of soil, which signify four conditions of the human heart.

                                                    Beside the Way

Verse 4 says, “As he sowed, some seeds fell beside the way, and the birds came and devoured them.” The first kind of heart is likened to the soil that is beside the way, which refers to a place close to the way. This soil is hardened by the traffic of the way; thus, it is difficult for the seeds to penetrate it. The wayside signifies the heart that is hardened by worldly traffic and cannot open to understand, to comprehend, the word of the kingdom (v. 19).

In a wheat field, the grains that ripen well are those closer to the center of the field, whereas the grains on the edges do not ripen as well because they are hardened by traffic. Similarly, if we desire to grow in life in a normal way, we should not stay on the edges of the church life but remain in its center. We may claim that we have left the world and have come into the church, which is God’s cultivated land, His farm (1 Cor. 3:9). However, if we have worldly traffic in our being, it will be difficult for the word to penetrate our heart.

The birds that devour the seeds signify the evil one, Satan, who comes and snatches away the word sown in the hardened heart (Matt. 13:19). If our heart is occupied with and hardened by worldly things, Satan will snatch away the word sown in our heart. In order for the divine life to grow in us, we must learn to stay away from the worldly traffic as much as possible.

                                               The Stony Ground

Verses 5 and 6 say, “Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much earth, and immediately they sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered.” The second kind of heart is likened to the stony ground, the rocky places. This soil seems soft, but there are rocks hidden beneath it. The rocks, which hinder the seed from taking root in the depths of the heart, signify hidden sins, personal desires, self-seeking, and self-pity, which are related to the natural mind, emotion, and will.

After hearing messages, a believer may be stirred up, but he may not have much depth. Instead of depth, there may be rocks deep within his heart, which make his heart stony ground. For instance, his mind may not have been renewed by the Spirit and may be filled with old religious concepts; his emotion may not have been touched by the Lord; and his will may not have been subdued by God and may be stubborn.

The brothers are often troubled by their natural mind and will, whereas the sisters are often troubled by their natural emotion. Many sisters are shallow because they have not allowed the Lord to touch and adjust their natural emotion. According to Leviticus 10:6-9 , when Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, offered strange fire and died before God, Moses told Aaron and his other two sons not to dishevel the hair of their heads or tear their garments, thus prohibiting them from exercising their natural emotion and expressing their natural affection. Although Aaron and his sons were full of feeling for Nadab and Abihu, they followed the instruction of Moses, thus allowing God to rule over and restrain their emotion. Similarly, we should let the Lord deal with and spread into our emotion. This is to dig out the rocks in our emotion.

Christ as the seed of life has been sown into all the believers. However, because many of them do not give Him a free way to spread within them, it is difficult for Him to take root in the depths of their heart. Although Christ desires to take root in the depths of their heart, they do not dig out the rocks in their heart; that is, they do not allow Him to penetrate their natural mind, touch their natural emotion, or tear down their natural will. As a result, after many years of being a Christian, they have not adequately grown in life.

We may be preoccupied with natural thoughts and concepts in our mind, natural feelings and desires in our emotion, and natural inclinations and intentions in our will. It is impossible for anyone to remove these rocks from our heart. Therefore, we must pray that the Lord would dislodge them. If the Lord has mercy on us, we will be willing to pray to Him, saying, “Lord, deal with all my inward parts. Till the ground in me. Dig out my natural concepts, feelings, and intentions.” If we desperately pray in this way, the Lord will dig out all the hidden rocks in our heart, and He as the seed of life will take root in the depths of our heart. If our natural thoughts, feelings, and intentions are removed, there will be room for the Lord to spread within our heart so that He may increase and expand in us. This is the genuine growth of life.

                                                  The Thorny Ground

Matthew 13:7 says, “Others fell on the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them.” The third kind of heart is likened to the thorny ground. In verse 22 the Lord Jesus said that the thorns represent the anxiety of the age and the deceitfulness of riches. These thorns choke the growth of the Lord as the seed of life within us. We should not be fashioned according to this age or care for the course of the present world (Rom. 12:2). We should not be conquered by the tide of the present evil age. For instance, we should overcome the temptation of raising our standard of living by acquiring better cars and bigger houses. This is to conquer the deceitfulness of riches.

                                                                  The Good Earth

Matthew 13:8 says, “Others fell on the good earth and yielded fruit, one a hundredfold, and one sixtyfold, and one thirtyfold.” The fourth kind of heart is likened to the good earth. The good earth signifies the good heart that is not hardened by worldly traffic, that is without hidden sins, and that is without the anxiety of the age and the deceitfulness of riches. Such a heart gives every inch of its ground to receive the word so that it may grow, bear fruit, and produce even a hundredfold (v. 23). May we allow the Lord to deal with our heart so that it would be the good earth in which He as the seed of life will grow unto maturity and bear much fruit.