The Defeated Heart

Matthew 13:1-9, 23-30

The parable goes on to say that the other seeds fell on rocky ground, where there was not much soil. The seed immediately sprouted, but since there was no depth of soil, it soon withered away. Sound familiar? The quick started who fades fast. The enthusiast who fails to follow through. Dropouts cripple goodness. The gospel suffers from those who grasp the challenge but retreat from the pain.

This is the third condition of the heart: The person gives up when he is challenged.

As a pastor I have encountered people like this. I go over to their homes and talk to them about uniting with the church. They sound ever so enthusiastic about ways in which they can become involved, and I go away feeling good about them and thinking that the church will have some good workers. And they do good work, at least for a while. But then the church attendance becomes sloppy. They habitually turn down offers of responsibility. They never volunteer for a task. Their financial support is not generous but only marginal. And then I realize that it is yet another example of seed falling on shallow soil. Perhaps people like this are charming and congenial but they are not good soldiers of the cross. When Valley Forge comes they are never around. It will always be difficult for an in-depth gospel to penetrate a shallow individual.

And the result is that the seed of the Kingdom of God never comes to fruition.

Questions to Ponder

• Have you ever felt defeated?

• What challenges you?

• Are you a good soldier of the Cross?

In His Service,
Terry Phillips