By Todd Barrier  

Today we come to the final piece in our series about the Parable of the Sower.  

So far we have looked at three kinds of soil Jesus described: the wayside soil, where the birds steal the seed; the rocky road soil, where roots can’t take hold; and the UFC soil, where the thorns choke out the word from our lives.  

Today we look at the good soil!  

In Matthew 13:8-9, Jesus says, “But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” 

Jesus explains the meaning of this in Matthew 13:23: “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” 

The difference in the good soil is the seed is able to take root. The good soil has all the right conditions to make the seed grow and bear fruit.  

Spiritually, we need the same thing to bear fruit. The right conditions include seeking things that are above, a willingness to put His word first and a desire to live out what His word teaches.  

When we have these things, we have good soil, or a good heart. The word takes root, the lessons in the Bible mean something, they guide our lives, and we bear fruit through teaching others and through the example we set in life.  

Good soil takes effort to till, weed, tend and water, but when we do, our lives and the lives of others are made better.  

What kind of soil are you tending to prepare for godly living?