Before God Speaks, Deciding To Say "Yes"

In review of Luke 8:15 it says, “The seeds that fell in good soil stand for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart, and they persist until they bear fruit.”

Bottom Line:

Seeds that fell on good ground represent honest, good-hearted people who hear and retain God’s word. They persist until they bear fruit.

What this means to me:

I can be just like the seeds that fell on the good ground as long as I continue to live with integrity and an open heart that will take hold of what God say’s and patiently put it into practice. If I do, then Jesus indicates that I would produce a huge harvest.

God will speak to me if I decide that I’m going to do what he tells me to do, even before he tells me. This is equivalent to saying, “God, if you want me to move, I’ll move. Before you even tell me, my heart has decided that the answer will be ‘yes.’ Whatever you want me to do, I will do it.”

Luke 8:15 says, “The seeds that fell in good soil stand for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart, and they persist until they bear fruit” (TEV).

This verse is part of the four kinds of people Jesus used in this parable (ones who are resistant, ones who are shallow, ones who are busy, and ones who are good.) But this parable also represents four attitudes. Unfortunately I can have all four attitudes in the same day! One moment I’m saying, “God, I don’t want to hear you, because I know what you’re going to say.” And the next moment I’m saying, “Lord, tell me quick.” Then I hear it and think it’s good, but I don’t do anything about it. Maybe the fruit starts to bear, but then I get busy with work or school and the weeds grow up. Then other times I say, “God, whatever you want. I’m totally open to you.”

God wants me to have an attitude of obedience so that I can bear fruit; the biblical term for being successful. God wants me to be fruitful in my work, my family, my friendships, my relationship with God and with others, and my health.

So how do you bear fruit when God tells me something? I pass it on. When God tells me something, the quickest way to let it bear fruit in, is to tell somebody else what I've just learned.

Another translation of Luke 8:15 says, “They listen to God’s words and cling to them and steadily spread them to others who also soon believe” (LB). God wants me to pass on to others what I learn.

Immediate obedience is a difficult thing, and I’m not sure I’ll ever completely master it. I can however strive to be quickly obedient in all matters no matter what God tells me. I really want to produce good fruit in my life and the actual proof will be what I can do to pour what I’m learning into others. I will continue to reach out to those God has put around me to share what I’m learning.