Mark 4:16-17 (NKJV)
16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 And they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.
The second group (those on stony ground where God’s Word was sown) heard God’s Word and received it with gladness, but there were some rocks in their hearts. When you plant in rocky soil, what you plant does not get rooted deeply enough. The roots hit the rocks and do not go down deeply enough to produce lasting results. The height of the crop is determined by the depth of its roots. The truth contained in God’s Word did not become a way of life for the second group. Everything that is worthwhile in life takes time to develop. [mp3-jplayer list=”hidden” play=”false” pos=”right”]
Another problem with the second group is that they are walking by sight, not living by faith. They are conducting themselves solely by what the five physical senses are telling them. They are reacting to life, not responding to life. Whenever something happens that looks like a problem in their life, they have a tendency to focus on the problem instead of the solution. The people in this group stumble because they lack knowledge. These people had the success principles in God’s Word available to them and chose not to learn more about them. This group of people is well-known for wanting to know: “Why did God do this to me?” The people in this group are their own worst enemies due to their refusal to gain more knowledge.
The second group find out they have the victory, they find out they are the righteousness of God in Christ, and they find out they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. However, when faced with the challenges of life, they either give up easily, or give up and blame God. These people lack the courage of their conviction due to their limited knowledge. The “never give up” attitude they were instructed to develop never replaced their old attitude of “give up and blame God.”
There is a negative force operating in this world (See 1 Peter 5:8 and 1 John 5:19). Look around you; look at all the heartache, suffering, and violence that exist in the world. You do not need to be a biblical scholar or a genius to figure out that some of the things happening in this world did not come from God. As a child of God, you are in the world, but you do not have to succumb to the world’s negative influence. Your success cannot be taken from you. To lose your success you must give up your success (e.g. negative thinking). Follow the success principles in God’s Master Success Book and your success will be a lasting success.
Those in group two do not make the sustained effort to gain sufficient knowledge by consistently applying the principles contained in God’s Master Success Book, and they do not receive much benefit from God’s Word.
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