Those by the way side are they that hear, then cometh the devil and taketh away the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. Luke 8:12
We had given the children some little animal cookies, placing them in small plastic bowls so the children could take them with them to the back yard to play. Two of the children sat on swings and nibbled their cookies until they were gone. But the third child placed her bowl on a nearby stump while she chased a ball around the yard. The ball rolled down a hill and she had to run to recover it. After a while, she returned and went to get her bowl of cookies. But a squirrel had noticed the bowl, and had upset it to get the cookies. It had already made off with about half of them before their owner returned. If she had kept her cookies in her hand, she would not have lost so many of them to the squirrel. She was like the wayside hearers of the Word in today’s parable.
Seed that is sown on the wayside never reaches any further than the surface of the ground. It cannot penetrate into soil that would allow it to germinate and grow. In the same way, the Word of God is unable to grow if it falls upon those who have no regard for it, who don’t see it as applying to them. That is why we see so little response to Gospel invitations and tracts, why so few pay any attention to Bible texts. If people see it as irrelevant or unimportant, they give the Good Seed no opportunity to reach their minds and consciences. And the Holy Spirit is unable to use the Word to bring them to repentance. As discouraging as it is in Gospel work, the bulk of the Good Seed seems to fall on the wayside these days.
But today’s text does not apply only to the unsaved or to the Gospel. As Christians, we encounter the Word of God as it applies to every aspect of our lives. And yet, we must confess that the Good Seed does not always sink as deeply into the soil of our hearts, minds, and consciences as it should. If we read a portion of the Scriptures and fail to meditate on it, the devil can quickly take that away and prevent the Word from doing its good work in our souls. Of course, the devil is also very skilled at preventing us from even reading the Word. A friend of mine was describing to me how that after he attended a conference, he would spend the time during the long drive home going over the ministry that he had heard. He was allowing the Good Seed that was broadcast during the conference meetings to penetrate deep into his mind and conscience. His was a good habit, one that more of us would do well to adopt. Sadly, we often fail to pay heed to ministry given at conferences and at our own Assembly meetings. We would experience more growth in spiritual things if we did.
Do we allow the Word of God to do its work in us, or do we allow the devil to rob us of its benefits? – Jim MacIntosh