"Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil - and immediately it sprang up since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away" - Mark 4:5-6 (ESV)
"The degree of blessing enjoyed by any man will correspond exactly with the completeness of God's victory over him" - A.W. Tozer
Even though I'm a born Kingstonian, I've always claimed St. Elizabeth as my own :) Both my parents come from the 'bread basket' parish: my mother from Shiloh (close to Appleton Estate) and my father from Giddy Hall District. I have fond memories of traveling there as a child for family reunions - great fun, great food. This is 'yam country' and you would see acres of these crops scattered all over the mountainside; once my father took me into a yam field that faced the old family house. I was a bit surprised to see that in spite of the beautiful and rich soil, most of the yam vines were dried up and dead. As my father spoke to the farmer who worked the field, I came to understand why this happened. The farmer took a pick-axe and drove it into the soil; after about 3 or 4 digs, the tool hit solid rock. Apparently, under the surface of the rich soil there was an impenetrable layer of rock. What would happen is that the yams would immediately spring up when planted in the rich soil, but the roots were unable to go deep because of the rocky layer underneath the soil: no deep roots equals no nutrients; no nutrients equals no growth. The plants inevitably withered and died.
The Lord Jesus understood the tragedy of a stony heart - in explaining the parable he gave in the above verses, he states: "The sower sows the word (of God)...and these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away" - Mark 4:14, 16-17.
The stony heart, on the surface, looks like it’s in good shape. It, however, maintains a shallow, rigid, and unteachable interior. It springs up in emotional response to God, but then forgets God in the heat of the day. Ultimately, the word planted in it will wither and die because the sun (representing trials and testings which are usually a catalyst for growth) now becomes a source of burn-out. This is the perennial problem of people who want to experience God without making a commitment to give their ALL - not just what can be seen on the surface....but EVERYTHING. The stone-hearted person may mean well - they may truly want to please God and bear fruit - but they will forever remain shallow and overcome because something (maybe sin, or pride, or a job, or a person, or money, or popularity, etc) is blocking the depth of their commitment. Only YOU and I know the stones that are preventing US from giving all. Maybe it's time to ask God to do some dynamite work in our hearts.
Remember God's intent: "I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations" - Ezekiel 36:26-27
The Christian experience will either be a painful, dreary journey or it will be a meaningful, joyful sacrifice depending on the state of your heart.
Pastor Andrew Smith
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