Matthew 13:18-23
Living Bible
18 “Now here is the explanation of the story I told about the farmer planting grain: 19 The hard path where some of the seeds fell represents the heart of a person who hears the Good News about the Kingdom and doesn’t understand it; then Satan, comes and snatches away the seeds from his heart. 20 The shallow, rocky soil represents the heart of a man who hears the message and receives it with real joy, 21 but he doesn’t have much depth in his life, and the seeds don’t root very deeply, and after a while when trouble comes, or persecution begins because of his beliefs, his enthusiasm fades, and he drops out. 22 The ground covered with thistles represents a man who hears the message, but the cares of this life and his longing for money choke out God’s Word, and he does less and less for God. 23 The good ground represents the heart of a man who listens to the message and understands it and goes out and brings thirty, sixty, or even a hundred others into the Kingdom.”
This parable/Illustration tells of what happens to people in the final days once they receive the Good News of the Kingdom. The best way to observe this information is to see which issue relates to you and how you can repent or change your life. Each point relates to a natural human tendency and what will happen if it is not fixed. This is also a way that we can guard our faith and makes sure it can survive until the end. What passage in the Bible helps us to understand that it is our responsibility to nurture our faith?
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2 Corinthians 13:5
Easy-to-Read Version
5 Look closely at yourselves. Test yourselves to see if you are living in the faith. Don’t you realize that Christ Jesus is in you? Of course, if you fail the test, he is not in you.
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2 Corinthians 13:5
Living Bible
5 Check up on yourselves. Are you really Christians? Do you pass the test? Do you feel Christ’s presence and power more and more within you? Or are you just pretending to be Christians when actually you aren’t at all?
