He went on to say: "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them."

But what did it all mean? Jesus explained: “Whenever someone hears the Word and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside. As for what was sown on thin and rocky soil, this is he who hears the Word and at once welcomes and accepts it with joy. Yet it has no real root in him, but is temporary so that when trouble or persecution comes, he stumbles and begins to distrust God, Whom he ought to trust and obey. But instead, he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the Word, but the cares of the world and the pleasure and delight and glamour and deceitfulness of riches chokes and suffocates the Word, so that it yields no fruit."

You and I have seen it so many times. A dear brother or sister grabs hold of God’s promises. They delightedly begin to understand what God has for them. They are thrilled – filled with faith and excitement. After all, the Christian life all sounds so wonderful.

But there’s just one problem. They have no spiritual depth. They don’t meditate on and digest God’s truths on a regular and daily basis. They don’t spend time in prayer with the Lord, seeking His face. They don’t water the seed planted in their heart by reading the Scriptures and understanding God’s Word in solid fellowship with fellow believers who will help them to dig deep. No, the seed never really gets rooted. It’s all surface. Superficial.