Scripture: Luke 8:1-15

Through His Word, God provides us with answers for our daily walk in business.

In Luke 8:1-15, Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower.   He describes four types of soils in which to plant seed and the ramifications of planting on each type of soil.  If one plants on the path, the seed is trampled on and eaten by birds.  On the rocky ground, sewn seed will wither from lack of moisture.  Seed among the thorny soil grows but is choked out by those thorns.  But seed planted on good soil produces a plentiful harvest.  The outline of Jesus’s parable follows:

Soil                             Seed Results                                        Metaphor

Path (No soil)          Trampled and eaten                           Hears the Word

Rocky soil                Withers from lack of moisture         Receives the Word

Thorny soil              Choked out by the thorns                 Believes the Word

Good soil                  Produces a plentiful harvest            Produces a harvest with the Word

Consider how the words of Jesus are applicable to business:

PATH  How many times do you attempt to communicate where your words are heard but not well received?  Have you sown words on the path?  Are your communications only by email and text where everyone can hit the delete key much too quickly?

ROCKY SOIL  How many times are your words received with positive reactions, but nothing happens as a result?  Do you really know your audience’s needs well enough to prepare them to receive your communication?

THORNY SOIL  Has a project start had lackluster results?  Maybe you haven’t cleared enough thorns to allow it to flourish and to encourage others to truly believe in the project.  Have you provided the team with the resources, support, and autonomy they need to grow?

GOOD SOIL  Have you reflected on a successful project and realized your communication enabled the audience to more fully hear and understand the message?  If so, how did you prepare the listeners to receive the message and its meaning?  And by what means did you remove the thorns so the audience could believe in the project and go on to produce a plentiful harvest in your business?

Remember, the first three elements of good communication—hearing, receiving, and believing—must be present before ‘producing a plentiful harvest’ can occur.