Mark 4 Jesus begins to teach in parables. Stories that are meant to teach truths that believers would listen to and learn from.  Jesus says that His disciples have been "given the mystery of the kingdom of God" but the outsiders "get everything in parables".  These would "see and not perceive;.. hear and not understand..."  Therefore they would not return to God and be forgiven.   Yet even the chosen disciples did not understand the parable of the sower and Jesus had to explain it to them.  Which makes us wonder... who then can be saved?   And the reminder comes... what is impossible to man is possible to God alone!  Salvation is by GRACE through faith, and that is not of ourselves... it is His gift!

We are familiar with the parable of the sower.   He sows the Word. Some of the Word lands on hard soil/hearts... Satan takes it away.   I imagine that would be people who see a billboard or hear an ad that mentions something from the Bible.  They pay no attention.  They never really see it or hear it.  They either don't want to or they refuse to acknowledge it...consciously or unconsciously.

Some of the Word lands on rocky soil/hearts.  They hear it and receive it initially, but there is no root.
Life goes on and it is not always roses and sunshine.  They choose to turn away.  To go back to the life that they once knew.  Habits and attitudes, hurts and fears, are rocks that fill the heart; it takes work to excavate the rocky soil and they would rather not.  There are many people in our world who are like this.  The Word sounds good.  They are hopeful and excited, but they want all of the benefits of salvation with none of the sacrifice and suffering.

Some of the Word falls on thorny soil/hearts.  They hear it and receive it and things are looking good.  But, "the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful."  Anything that chokes out the Word... is a thorn.  When we allow the world to conform us to itself instead of being transformed by the Word of God, we will become unfruitful.  

What are the worries of the world?  Take a look around at all the anxious people - money, jobs, family, health, physical appearance - these things choke us and eat up our time and our thoughts.  Instead of meditating on the fact that our God made everything, knows our needs and knows what is best for us - we worry and fret. 
 The deceitfulness of riches?  It is a lie that money solves any problems.  It is a lie that lack of money causes us fall away from God.   We have money and we want more.  The lie is that more will be better.  But the Word tells us the truth - that there is contentment in Christ alone.  That we cannot serve God and money.  It is the same lie that Satan fed Adam and Eve in the garden; that what we can't have is better than all the blessings that we already have!
The desire for things?  What things do we want more than God or His Word?  These are idols.
What things eat up our quiet times in the Word.  What things make us want to forget all about church and prayer and reading His Word.  These things will choke our hearts and souls and render us worthless! Unfruitfulness = worthlessness. 

But some of the Word falls on good soil/hearts.  They hear the word. They "accept" the Word. They receive it and delight in it.  They allow it to penetrate into their lives and take root.  To grow and to thrive.  These people don't stop removing the rocks, even though it is hard work and it takes a struggle and sacrifice.  They don't stop pulling up the thorny weeds - whisking away the weeds of worry and discontentment .  Pulling down the idols that steal away the life in Christ.  And the fruit comes - love and peace, patience and kindness, gentleness and self-control, joy and goodness, and faithfulness.

This kind of fruit is not hidden, but revealed.  This kind of seed grows like the mustard seed - like a large tree that provides shelter for the little ones in the nests.

Again this is not something that WE can make happen. Verses 26-29 tell us that God's kingdom is like a man who sows.  He goes to bed and the seed sprouts, it grows, it matures, and it bears fruit.  He doesn't control any of that... but he gets to enjoy the harvest.   God makes it happen. Yet we have a part - we must use our ears to hear!

Father in heaven,  giver of life and truth.  Give us ears to hear and a will to listen to the Shepherd's voice. Let Your Word be the Light for our paths and the Lamp for our feet today.  May we receive it with open hearts,  please remove the rocks and thorns today. We ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.