The effect of the Word of God

"Listen. Behold, the sower went out to sow. As it sowed, it happened that some grains fell along the way ; The birds came and ate everything. Others fell on the rocky ground where they had not much land ; And at once they lifted up, because they had not a deep earth; When the sun rose, they were burned, and because they had no root, they dried up. Others fell among the thorns ; The thorns went up, stifled them, and they gave no fruit. Others fell on good ground, and rising and rising, they yielded fruit, and brought forth one thirty, another sixty-one. "Mark 4: 3-8

 
This parable first applies to the way in which someone receives the proclamation of the gospel, perhaps for the first time. But she also addresses me, redeemed from the Lord :
- 1st field, the way : I read the Bible but I am distracted. I forget as I read what I read. The Word will not bear fruit today in my life.
- 2nd ground, the rockery : the Word enters a little. My emotions are touched and I sing a hymn. But the impression is fugitive, and when trial or temptation occurs, it disappears like dew in the sun (Hosea 6: 4). The word had no real effect to lead me to act by faith according to what I read.
- 3rd ground, the thorns : the Word touches me more deeply. I grasp the significance of it, I understand its meaning, but now my work and my worries invade my thoughts. What I read has no effect on transforming my life. Why ? Because God does not have the first place in my life. This reading is fruitless.
- 4th ground, the good land : the Word enters and descends into my heart which it embraces with deep emotion. It penetrates my mind that it impresses durably. It stimulates the energy of the new man and my willingness to act to please the Lord. The teaching I have just read, I apply it by faith : it bears fruit to the glory of God.
The lesson is clear : since the grains all come from a single hand in the parabola, the final result depends only on the nature of the soil, in other words the state of my heart. The seed may not germinate at all, or it may not grow or grow up to a hundredfold. What is my choice ?
 
Source (Please the Lord)