Parable of the Four Soils

We all love stories, especially mysteries. When we were young children, our parents, grandparents, or friends would read us stories. Stories and mysteries are passed down from generation to generation. This book is about a story and a mystery, and who doesn't love a good mystery?The Parable of the Four Soils concerns a sower (Jesus) who scatters seed (The Word), which falls on four different types of ground (the hearts of people). The wayside soil (the closed, hardened, and neglected heart) prevents the seed from sprouting at all, and the seed becomes nothing more than bird food. The stony soil (the careless heart) provides enough soil for the seeds to germinate and begin to grow, but because there is "no deepness of earth," the plants are soon withered in the sun (trials and persecution). The thorny soil (the crowded heart) allows the seed to grow, but the four competing thorns choke the life out of the young plants. The good soil (the cultivated heart) receives the seed and produces much fruit. What has all of this to do with knowing the keys to the kingdom of God? It's in the book "The Parable of the Four Soils." Come, take a fresh look at an old story.