The Way Side
Today’s Verse:
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. ~Mark 4:4
The word parable means a story placed alongside a truth to give it a clearer and more powerful meaning. Jesus masterfully and colorfully used parables to help His audience understand how to make God’s Word personal in their lives. This morning, we see the familiar parable about the Sower and the seed. Let us see the lesson concerning the way side soil.
We see the particles.
“Some fell by the way side....” Here is a sower sowing seeds in a field that has been prepared and made ready for sowing. As he is casting precious seeds, some of them wind up landing on the highway, or the pathway for travelers. This seed is just as precious as the seed that has made its way into the prepared soil. We must remember that the seed is a symbol of the Word of God. It is precious seed. It is incorruptible seed. It is seed that has a powerful effect in the hearts of those who receive it. The sower was not careless or negligent. His purpose was to get this precious seed into the ground. Do not despise the day of small things.
We see the pathway.
Way side soil, as mentioned earlier, is the well-traveled path that people walk on. People who are on the way somewhere travel on the way side. They are busy people. They are burdened people. They are people in a hurry. They are people who are not considering that seeds have fallen in their pathway and trample right on it. The highway of life can blindside us from the importance of hearing and heeding God’s Word. Once we start traveling on the way side, our tendency to ignore, disregard, and be distracted is very high. Be careful that as you walk the highway of life, you do not ignore God’s Word.
We see the peril.
“...The fowls of the air came and devoured it up.” Here are people who have heard the Word, but Satan comes quickly to snatch the seed out of their hearts. Our busyness, distractions, ambitions, associations, and personal plans are avenues by which Satan’s birds come down and devour the seed. This seed was exposed and vulnerable. This seed was trampled on and neglected. This seed was received but not given time to nurture in our hearts. Is your heart unprotected? Have you been turning a deaf ear to God’s Word? Have you been looking in the mirror of the Word and forgetting what manner of man you are?
We see the prevention.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly....” Let it sink in. Don’t live your spiritual life as if you are going out for fast food. Schedule your daily time with God so that there are no distractions. Schedule days in which your Bible reading time is like mining for gold and processing diamonds. Put action to what you read. Satan snatches the seed out of hearts that do not have an action plan. Make daily meditation of the Word part of your plan where you pull to the side and let it sink in. Be careful of developing an evil heart of unbelief. We can’t avoid the highway, but we can protect the seed.
Have a deeply rooted God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Isaiah 45-48