Again He began to teach by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat on the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And when the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.” And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Stories can illustrate truth to us in a memorable and relatable way. And Jesus knew the strength of a good story. He often taught in parables to illustrate the principle He was teaching. Parables are stories that make comparisons with metaphors and the like to make a specific point or lead to new understanding. A good story tends to stick with us longer than a lecture or even someone telling us exactly what we should do. Stories help bridge the gap from head knowledge to heart knowledge as they show us how they apply truth to our lives.

However, people must be ready to listen and receive a story for it to be effective. Many stories might go over our heads or never sink in because they seem irrelevant to our practical lives. But Jesus’s words draw us in even now to listen and receive the Word of God. He guides us into life with Him and shows us the way to be with God through His life, death, and resurrection. Jesus’s prompt to hear applies to us today, calling us to consider where we stand in our faith. Are we listening and multiplying His fruit in our lives, or are we getting choked out, falling on thorns, or withering away.

God knows where you’ve landed, but do you? Have you taken time to hear this Word and consider how it applies to you? Have you thought about what area of your life hasn’t been changed by His Word? God is good. He has graciously given us redemption through His Son, Jesus, and has given us His Word to teach us how to live His way. The question is, are you ready to listen?

• When was a time you listened to God’s Word and applied it to your life? How often do you do that now?
• What is a parable Jesus told that has impacted you? How so?
• Pray for the global church, that every believer would listen to God’s Word and be changed by it.