“But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.” Luke 8:15

Recently I had the opportunity to sit under the teaching of Kay Arthur. She is the best Bible teacher I know. When you are at an event where she is sharing God’s Word, these are the things about her that I appreciate the most:

1. She tells you to get your Bible out. (She will provide the Scripture passages on a handout but she loves to hear pages turn.)
2. She makes it clear that she is not there to entertain you but teach you the Word of God. She is not concerned about providing anything that would glitz up her presentation…she simply taught the Word. (Although, I think watching a woman of 81 years of age teach three 1 ½ hour sessions was pretty fascinating in and of itself.)
3. She was available to people. At one point she even walked the aisles to look people in the face. She didn’t hide in the green room during breaks…she was in the back talking to people.

I read Luke 8:4-15 a few days after hearing her speak. Luke 8:11 says that the seed is the Word of God. The whole parable describes different soils that receive the seed. My prayer for you today is that your heart will be like the good soil mentioned in verse 15. Do you and I hear the Word with an honest and good heart? Do we hold fast to the Word of God? Do we bear fruit with perseverance? (Studying God’s Word Inductively is the heart of Precepts, the ministry that Kay Arthur leads. She is the first to tell you that studying God’s Word is hard and requires discipline and perseverance. She also is the first to tell you that you will gain much through a deep study of the Bible.)

Kay Arthur desires that all who were hearing her speak would receive the Word, hide it in their hearts and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. More so, when God speaks, He desires that we take in His Word with a right heart, ready to receive, and grow fruit. How is the soil of your heart today? Is reading or studying something to check off a list? Are you giving time at all to hear the Lord speak to you?

A few weeks ago the underground oil tank at our home was removed and replaced with an above ground tank. Even though we had our soil tested, which showed no contamination, Dave and I still prayed that there would be no tiny hole in the tank that would cause us to have to do any remediation of the soil. It would have been a costly job! Thankfully, there were no holes and all is well.

How is the soil of your heart? Rocky, overgrown, hardened? Perhaps, your soil needs remediation? Pray and read today with a heart cultivated to hear, learn and apply.

Blessings, Kathy

Kathy’s on staff at America’s Keswick in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 28 years. They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local Church and has taught Sunday school and Bible studies for women. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God’s Word.