The seed by the wayside
John chapter 8- The seed that fell by the wayside.
"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."
Jesus says, "Those by the wayside are the ones who hear [the word]; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved."
This isn't to be taken literally. The devil is not literally taking the word out of our hearts, as if we are helpless and have no say in the matter. However, what the devil does do is actively entice us away from the truth of God that's found in His word. He craftily does this by presenting what the world has to offer in the place of what God offers. This task is accomplished by preying on our weaknesses: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. 1 John 2:15 warns us saying, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love [for] the Father is not in him."
I know that statement sounds impossible to adhere to because there is so much to love about life. After all, God created it! Therefore, it's important to define what it really means to "love the world." Loving the world is not to say we cannot passionately root for our favorite sports team, or enjoy the meatiest cut of the finest steak, or love our wives, or each other. What it means to love the world is to have it take the place of God in our hearts. Determining if this is the case is really quite simple. Our heart is the seat of our inner being. It's the place where are decisions are made and our desires are formed. Therefore, if you've rejected the truth of Jesus Christ, it's not God who is in your heart, it's the world. Likewise, if you have professed the truth of Jesus Christ, you have made that decision in your heart that it is the Lord who is God and is our salvation. What we are not talking about here is the degrees of imperfection. We still act unfaithfully towards God in many ways. However, once we received the word and believe on His name, we are sealed and saved for the day of redemption. You can be sure of this. Nonetheless, we need to be weary of the work the devil is doing in this world: lying to us, dissuading us, and distracting us away from God's voice. We need to be aware that Jesus says, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Mammon is defined as "the treasure a person trusts in." Therefore, those who do not trust in the Lord are not saved, and they do not trust in the Lord because they have believed a lie: that God's word is a trivial thing and what the world offers is better than what God offers. This is exactly what Satan presented when he spoke to Eve in the garden of Eden (see Genesis chapter 3). He also tried to entice Jesus in this way when he confronted Him in the wilderness (see Luke chapter 4). In each instance, Satan twisted God's word to make it seem like a trivial matter. In each instance, Satan worked on the weaknesses we are so susceptible to: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
If you are a non-believer, be aware of this delusion in your life and do not accept it. Open yourself up to the word of God. Study it. Seek out the truth. Put your faith in Jesus as the Lord God, who He claimed to be! Know and understand that He created you, and loves you, and died for you in your place on the cross. He did this to reconcile you to Himself and to save you from the coming judgement. He did all this on his account. He wants to substitute His perfection for your imperfection. That is the offer of grace you hear so much about. Grace is not something that is earned through good works, but something that is offered and given to you if you will only put your trust in Jesus as Lord. It is Christ who is our salvation, the propitiation for our sins, and in whom we trust for eternal life.
Final thought. Although the seed by the wayside is speaking specifically about those who have not yet believed, saved believers should also take note. As Paul writes to believers in Ephesians chapter 6, he says, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
As long as we're housed in this flesh, Christians are just as susceptible to fall victim to the wiles of the devil as anyone else. Therefore, we must continue to train ourselves in the knowledge of the Lord. We must not fail to read His word that preaches the truth of Jesus Christ from beginning to end. We continue in this pursuit because it is so very easy to turn away from the Lord with all the distractions in our life: sports news, hobbies, politics, job advancement, money, relationships, etc. When these distractions take precedence in our lives, that's when weeks, months, or years can slipped by without really growing in or meditating on the word of God for our own understanding. This is simply to our shame, for David writes in all his joy that the knowledge of the Lord and His intimate knowledge of us is simply "too wonderful" for him to comprehend, saying, "O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it."
The Lord created us to know Him, and to fail in that regard, as professors of Christ, is simply irresponsible and foolish... not just to our own harm, but to the harm of others as well. As Jesus plainly states, "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lamp stand, that those who enter may see the light." So take responsibility with the time you've been given, and do not let the seed that's been sown go to waste.