Are You Guarding Your Heart? | Daily Devotion #76
Mark 4:4, 15
"As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it… The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.” Mark 4:4,15
Each of the soils from this parable represents a type of heart before God. The first soil that we see represents a robbed heart. This means that it’s a heart that has the word of God taken away just as quickly as it receives it. The birds eating the seed off the path are symbolic of satan’s efforts to snatch away God’s word from hearts that have become cold, hard, or callous.
The robbed heart is easily deprived of any sort of spiritual nourishment. What does this look like in practice? One example might be the heart that outwardly affirms biblical truth, like acknowledging the validity of a sermon but failing to actually apply its teaching.
Hard hearts may stem from past hurt, religious apathy, or just plain indifference. It’s representative of a condition that not only rejects divine influence but also resists self examination. Unfortunately, even many Christians in the church fit this kind of description.
How can you avoid this in your own life? Solomon is instructive in this area. In Proverbs 4:23, he tells us to “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
So guard your heart! Pray that God would give you a heart that is soft and receptive to His voice. When you encounter God’s word, act on it before it gets snatched away.
This was adapted from a recent sermon by my pastor. You can watch the sermon here.