Luke 18:11-14 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Yesterday I left you with the thought that the soil (a man’s heart) cannot break itself. Here in the telling by Jesus is a vital piece of the puzzle. It occurs in verse thirteen. That sinner would not approach holy ground, knowing he was unworthy. He would not look up to heaven fearing God with reverence. But then he beats his chest, signifying his heart is broken. Then lastly without even understanding how, he begs God to save him.

All too often I have seen well-meaning men accept others into baptism who never asked the most basic and pertinent question of their applicant, “Why do you come here today?” If the answer is anything but “Because my heart is breaking.” then I would dig deeper to see if there is a proper understanding of salvation.

Matthew 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

The good soil has to understand it is broken and why.

Luke 8:11-13 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

Let us skip over how the seed takes root to examine the results of that seed taking root in your heart.

Ephesians 3:16-19  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

To be filled with the fullness of God, not in part but in whole, is the end result of that seed taking root. Key to the understanding of how is also listed here. By faith, in the heart, to receive Christ into your heart by faith is how the Word takes root and nourishes the soul and grows Godliness in you.

By faith is not a head shot, a knowing born of reasoning, calculation, adjustments and a simple belief born of the mind. This faith creates a longing in your heart that only Jesus can fill. This is why the parable of the sower instructs us that the good soil in prepared to receive the Word. The heart has to be broken and found to be wanting for our savior.

The soil cannot break itself, neither can our hearts decide to be broken. That is the work of God thru the power of the Holy Spirit.