Daily Bible Plan - Mark 4

22. October 2025

Devotion by Deaconess Sarah

Theme: Kingdom of God - Mark 4:1-20

Fortified City Church / Love City Church / Basel French Assembly / Luzern City Fellowship / ⁠PIWC Bern / ⁠Global prayer family

The Parable of the Sower – A Heart that Bears Fruit

In Mark chapter 4, Jesus tells several parables to help people understand important truths. Through these comparisons, He wants to show us how God works and how His kingdom operates. To His disciples, Jesus explains that they are allowed to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. Many people hear His words only as stories, but those who are truly open receive deep insight.

In verses 1–20, Jesus tells the parable of the farmer who sows seed. He explains that the soil on which the seed falls represents the hearts of people. Everyone responds differently to God’s Word—just as the different kinds of soil respond differently to the seed.

The Four Types of SoilThe Path: 

Some hear the Word of God, but their hearts are hard, like a trampled path. The seed cannot penetrate, and Satan immediately takes away the Word before it can take root.

The Rocky Ground: 

Others hear the Word with joy, but their faith remains shallow. When troubles or opposition come, they quickly give up because their roots do not go deep enough.

The Thorns: 

Still others hear the Word, but the worries of life, the love of wealth, and many distractions choke it. Their hearts are so full of other things that God’s Word has no space and loses its power.

The Good Soil: 

Finally, there are people whose hearts are open and ready. They hear God’s Word, receive it, and live by it. Their faith grows—and they bear fruit, thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold. This fruit continues to work and changes the lives of others as well.

I am sure each of us wants to be good soil—a heart where God’s Word can take root and bear fruit.

How can our heart become good soil?

A fruitful heart does not develop on its own—it needs care, attention, and time.When the Word of God is nurtured, watered, and put into action in our hearts, it will bear fruit. Some important steps are:

Receive the Word

Consciously plant God’s Word in your heart by reading it and reflecting on it.

Stay connected through prayer

The soil remains fertile when it is regularly watered—this happens through prayer. In this way, your heart stays soft, and your faith can grow deeper roots.

Remove obstacles

Just as weeds can choke a seed, there are things in our lives that hinder growth—worries, pressure to perform, comparison, jealousy, or the desire for recognition. A good heart develops when we deliberately remove these “thorns.”

Trust God

We can look to God, trust Him, and expect growth in our hearts through faith. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”

We have already seen how important prayer is for the growth and multiplication of God’s Word in our hearts, and for making them good soil. Therefore, you can pray this prayer now:

“Lord, open my heart to Your Word.Let it take root and grow within me. Show me what in my life chokes Your Word, and help me let go of everything that separates me from You.Make my heart good soil, so that Your Word bears a hundredfold fruit—in me and through me. Amen.”