Four Types Of Hearts
There’s a story Jesus tells in Matthew chapter 13 about four types of hearts. He tells us this story to show us what type of heart is on display within our own lives.
The Path
The first is the heart like a path. This heart is so trampled down by life’s struggles that it can’t receive anything good, and as a result, Satan comes quickly and steals all the good that’s been placed there.
Rocky Ground
The second is the heart that’s like rocky ground. This heart receives the good for only a moment, but when tough times come, the good dies out quickly.
Thorny Ground
The third heart is the thorny ground. At first, these also chose to do good for God, but concern for riches, and their worries about life caused the good to fade out and eventually die.
The Good Ground
The fourth is the good ground. These grow into a strong faith and remain dedicated to Christ, no matter difficult times that come their way. They remain faithful, true, and loving, even when others don’t love them in return. They forgive, and then let go of the offense. They give and expect nothing in return. These are the good soil.
Distractions
Notice all the distractions that make for a bad heart? These distractions represent our choices, and when the heartaches of life comes our way, the choices we make shape us. When temptation arise and we want recognition, our actions define us.
We Choose
We are the ones who choose to be the man or woman God as called us to be, not God, not Satan. And when we make the choice to serve God, we are not only choosing it for ourselves, but we are also choosing it for our loved ones, our co-workers, our friends, and yes even neighbors. We will either choose right living, or we will justify why it’s, “too hard to be Christlike” or, “not convenient at this time”. The fact is, we never justify any lack of love or kindness that someone else should show to us in our lives, so why do we justify holding ourselves to a lesser standard than that of what love is asking us to do?
Remember, you decide what type of soil is in your heart, and that choice, it’s what you’re living with right now.
