Open Heaven 3 June 2026: A Brand-New Heart III
MEMORISE: But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18
READ: Matthew 13:5-6, Matthew 13:20-21
5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
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The second kind of soil Jesus described in His parable about the sower is ‘Stony places’. This soil type can be compared to people who receive the word of God with joy but turn their backs on it when they begin to encounter tough situations in their lives as a result of persecution.
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you… John 15:20
In the Scripture above, Jesus said that His followers will be persecuted as He was also persecuted. Furthermore, Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12 that every true follower of Christ will experience persecution in one form or another. Being persecuted is a painful experience, and believers are not immune to it. In fact, going through the fires of persecution helps Christians to grow in faith (1 Peter 1:6-7, James 1:2-3). Despite this, however, the devil manages to convince some believers that the pain they are experiencing as a result of persecution is proof that God is unfaithful and that He does not love them. The devil succeeds in doing this because such Christians have not grown in the knowledge of God through His word and are largely ignorant of His ways, character, and power. Thus, their foundation in faith is very weak, and they are easily swayed by the devil.
It is good to hear the word of God and even be excited by it. Beyond that, however, every believer has the responsibility to build themselves up spiritually (1 Corinthians 3:9-10), and one of the ways to do this is by increasing their knowledge of God through His word. There is a popular saying that ignorance is bliss, but this is not true for a believer. Being in a state of ignorance about the word of God and making no efforts to build yourself up spiritually is very dangerous because it can lead to destruction (Hosea 4:6).
Beloved, do not allow yourself to fall victim to the wiles of the devil and be destroyed by him. Don’t just listen to the word of God from various ministers and get excited by it, or be a believer who only opens the Bible on Sundays. Rather, be like the Bereans who took responsibility for knowing God by themselves (Acts 17:10-11). I pray that as you sow the seeds of the word of God daily into your heart, you will reap bountiful fruits of His goodness and mercy, in Jesus’ name.
KEY POINT
Growing in the knowledge of God through his word is important for every believer.
BIBLE IN A YEAR
Job 31-34
Open Heaven 3 June 2026
