And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. And in a similar way these are the ones sown with seed on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and yet they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown with seed among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those are the ones sown with seed on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.”

There are a lot of questions we use to measure our success. We ask ourselves how financially prepared we are, what people think of us, or whether we’re making a difference. These are all good questions that have their place in our lives but in His explanation of this parable, Jesus points us to a very important question that we often overlook: “What am I doing with the Word?” Anxiety tells us that security is most important. Pride tells us our image is most important. But Jesus says the way we respond to the Word, when we hear and believe it, will change our lives radically.

What place does the Word of God have in your life? How much is your daily life affected by your faith? Colossians 3:1-3 says, “If you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” This is your calling. In a world full of distractions, empty promises, and worries, the Lord has called you to something eternal. He has called us to become more like Him every day, growing in understanding what it means to be made in His image, designed with a purpose, and sent as His disciple. May we not dismiss what our God has given to us as our highest calling. He has called us to a life much better than we could ever imagine.

• Which part of this parable do you most identify with? Why?
• What place does God’s Word have in your life right now? How can you make it a priority?
• Pray and ask God to help you see as important what He has given to us as most important.