Hearing and
even understanding the Word of God is not enough to “bear fruit” in our lives (Matthew
13:18-23). There are many temptations we’ll
face that will hinder God’s Word in our lives.
First, there
are many people who have been blessed to hear the Word of God. There are many who have been to religious
education classes, have been taught by parents and others, have attended Church
services but have failed to allow what they’ve heard to penetrate deeply to the
point that they understand. To hear the
Word of God is very different from understanding the Word of God. One reason for this is that the pure Word of
God, when heard and understood, challenges us to the core of our being. If one truly understands God’s Word, then that
person can’t remain indifferent. They
must change. And they must change in a
complete way. Failure to do so means
that it’s impossible for good fruit to be born in their life to the degree God
wants.
But
understanding and changing isn’t even enough.
This is because the enemies of our soul, traditionally spoken of as the
world, the flesh, and the devil, will powerfully attack any person who receives
the Word of God and decides to abide by that Word. For example, if you were to fully accept the
teachings of Jesus regarding forgiveness of others, as soon as you make the
choice to forgive, there would most likely be numerous temptations to abandon
that practice. Pride, anger, hurt, the
lies of the evil one and the world will all try to deter you from an act of
complete forgiveness of others. Or take,
for example, the call to live completely detached from “riches.” Jesus’ teachings on true spiritual poverty
versus true spiritual riches require a depth of conversion that is difficult to
obtain. Thus, the “lure of riches” is
very hard to overcome.
In the end,
if your soul is truly fertile ground and if you allow the most pure and
complete teaching of the Gospel to penetrate your soul so as to change you in
every way God wants to change you, then this means that you have overcome each
and every temptation thrown at you. You have rejected the temptations that come
from greed, pride, anger and the like. You have embraced humility, rejected
worldly esteem, dismissed anxiety and worry and are directed only by the
powerful, gentle, holy, and clear Voice of God in your life. This requires much
prayer, much interior purification, total dedication and unwavering obedience
to the Word of God spoken to you both through the Gospels and in the depths of
your conscience. And even among those who achieve this level of holiness, the
fruit born in their lives is dependent upon how fully and habitually they live
by the guiding Word of God.
Achieving
the goal of having exceptionally rich soil in your heart for the Word of God
requires unyielding commitment and determination. There are numerous
temptations that will fight against the creation of a fertile heart. Commit yourself today to the goal of becoming
that rich soil in which the Word of God is sown that not only bears good fruit
but bears good fruit that is a hundredfold.
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