The Parable of the Sower is the foundational parable. If we do not understand this parable, we will not understand the rest of Christ's parables.
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus speaks of the seed, which is the Word of God, and of four types of soil onto which the seed falls: 1) hard soil; 2) rocky soil; 3) thorny soil; and 4) good soil. Each type of soil represents one of the four types of the human heart. As you read further, think about what type of heart you have.
The hard soil represents the heart hardened by sin. This type of soil hears the Word of God but does not understand it because this heart has been seared by sin. Therefore, this kind of heart cannot receive the Word of God because Satan quickly snatches it away.
The stony soil represents the heart of him who hears the Word of God and is initially delighted with it. But when troubles come, the stony heart loses faith because he did not allow his heart to be transformed by the Word.
The thorny soil represents the heart of him who seems to receive the Word of God but who, in reality, allows the cares and pleasures of this world to choke out the Word.
The good soil represents the heart of him who gladly receives the Word of God and allows it to transform him. This heart bears much fruit for the Kingdom. This heart is the only one of the four that is truly saved.
What type of heart are you? Be honest with yourself. If your heart is not the good soil, you can choose to change now. Ask Jesus to create in you a clean heart, a good heart. He will. ______________________________________________________
Copyright 2014 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA. All rights reserved.
Showing posts with label good. Show all posts
Showing posts with label good. Show all posts
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Are You a Prisoner of These Lies?
Many lies are being perpetrated today in the name of tolerance. Here are a few:
1) All belief systems lead to God.
2) A good God would not allow people to go to Hell.
3) As long as I am a good person, I will go to Heaven.
Please allow me to address each of these lies since believing one or all of them will result in your eternal damnation.
1) First, the lie that all belief systems lead to God. All belief systems are not equal in the sense that all do not teach the truth. What is the truth? The truth is a Person named Jesus Christ. He said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6).
To believe anything that contradicts that Christ is the Truth is to believe a lie.
Jesus taught that there is only one way for man to be saved, and that way is to accept Him as the Savior. In the Gospel of John, chapter one, verse 12, the Word tells us that ". . . to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." One cannot enter God's family without accepting Jesus Christ, the Door to the family.
2) Second, the lie that a good God would not allow people to go to Hell. The truth is that God does not send anyone to hell. A person sends himself to hell. Hell is the tormenting absence of God. When one moves away from God, one moves toward Hell. The less of God one has in one's life, the more of Hell one has in one's life. There will come a point at which the decision to remain estranged from God will be a permanent one. That point is called death. Thereafter, Hell will be a permanent state for the person who has chosen not to follow Christ while on this earth.
3) Third, the lie that as long as I am a good person, I will go to Heaven. Getting to Heaven has nothing to do with what we do, but it has everything to do with what Jesus Christ has done. No matter how many good works we do, they will not get us into Heaven. Why? Because our good works mean nothing in relation to our sin. Our good works can never erase the sin nature from our hearts. Only God can do that, and He did it through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ took our place and paid the price for our sin. He became our scapegoat because of His infinite love for us. He knew we could never earn salvation on our own, so He earned it for us. All we have to do is believe and receive that salvation.
The time is short before the return of Jesus Christ to judge the earth. Please take to heart what I have written. Please research it for yourself. Most of all, please ask God to reveal His truth to you so that you may have eyes to see and ears to hear.
If you have any questions, please write to me at maryann@maryanndiorio.com. My prayer is that you will know the truth that will set you free (John 8:32).
1) All belief systems lead to God.
2) A good God would not allow people to go to Hell.
3) As long as I am a good person, I will go to Heaven.
Please allow me to address each of these lies since believing one or all of them will result in your eternal damnation.
1) First, the lie that all belief systems lead to God. All belief systems are not equal in the sense that all do not teach the truth. What is the truth? The truth is a Person named Jesus Christ. He said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6).
To believe anything that contradicts that Christ is the Truth is to believe a lie.
Jesus taught that there is only one way for man to be saved, and that way is to accept Him as the Savior. In the Gospel of John, chapter one, verse 12, the Word tells us that ". . . to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." One cannot enter God's family without accepting Jesus Christ, the Door to the family.
2) Second, the lie that a good God would not allow people to go to Hell. The truth is that God does not send anyone to hell. A person sends himself to hell. Hell is the tormenting absence of God. When one moves away from God, one moves toward Hell. The less of God one has in one's life, the more of Hell one has in one's life. There will come a point at which the decision to remain estranged from God will be a permanent one. That point is called death. Thereafter, Hell will be a permanent state for the person who has chosen not to follow Christ while on this earth.
3) Third, the lie that as long as I am a good person, I will go to Heaven. Getting to Heaven has nothing to do with what we do, but it has everything to do with what Jesus Christ has done. No matter how many good works we do, they will not get us into Heaven. Why? Because our good works mean nothing in relation to our sin. Our good works can never erase the sin nature from our hearts. Only God can do that, and He did it through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ took our place and paid the price for our sin. He became our scapegoat because of His infinite love for us. He knew we could never earn salvation on our own, so He earned it for us. All we have to do is believe and receive that salvation.
The time is short before the return of Jesus Christ to judge the earth. Please take to heart what I have written. Please research it for yourself. Most of all, please ask God to reveal His truth to you so that you may have eyes to see and ears to hear.
If you have any questions, please write to me at maryann@maryanndiorio.com. My prayer is that you will know the truth that will set you free (John 8:32).
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