“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” – Matthew 13:23

One day some years ago, when my children were small, they brought home some seeds. I do not recall where they got them, but they wanted to see what would grow. We agreed that this would be an interesting experiment, so the kids set the seeds on the table. A few days later, one of them looked at the seeds and then asked me, “Why aren’t they growing?” I explained, “We have to plant them first!”  

We smile at that childish question, but it makes a point when we think about our focus verse. You can obtain good seeds and put them in many places—in your pocket, on a shelf, or on the counter. But unless you put them where they need to go, nothing will happen. Seeds were designed to grow in soil.  

The Word of God is designed the same way. It has to be “received,” or planted, in order to grow in our lives. We may own three, four, or five Bibles; we may have heard the Scriptures taught all our lives. However, until God’s Word is planted in our hearts, it cannot do what it was designed to do—which is to grow.  

How does that growth take place? It happens when we absorb the message in the Bible and apply it to our own lives. When the Lord drops a promise down in our hearts, we accept it and believe it. Perhaps we are seeking the Lord as we go through a difficult time, and we look into God’s Word for a promise—something to hang on to. And suddenly, there it is, right in front of us. Maybe it is a verse we have read many times before, but this time we understand it in a new and deeper way. We have a hold on something that begins to move and grow in our hearts.  

And that verse brings forth fruit! Faith increases as it is exercised. Soon, it does not make any difference what comes against it—what reasoning, thoughts, or doubts the devil may bring to overthrow it—the faith that resulted from that promise in God’s Word is firmly fixed in our hearts. We may not be able to say how God will answer our prayer, but we know that we have God’s Word. He put it there; He’s going to perform it.  

Thank God for His Word and for the growth it brings when we allow it to be planted deeply in our lives. Let us cherish it and nurture it, that we might bring forth spiritual fruit “an hundredfold”!