Matt. 13:23; "But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit..."

Matt. 13:23; "But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit..."

By REV. FR. PAUL ANIGBORO

There are obstacles to God's word. The chief obstacle is the devil himself. We can cast our minds back to Gen. 3 in the event of the fall of man. Matthew in today's gospel takes us through the various stages of God's word and how the evil one snatches it away before bearing fruits.
 
There are 3 major obstacles to the word of God. The first is lack of understanding. There are moments when we read a particular passage of the scripture and we don't understand what we read. To understand, we need direction and guidance of the Spirit. The 2nd obstacle is lack of roots. This happens when we don't allow the word to enter us deeply and take roots in our lives. When the word is not rooted, it can be abandoned especially when it starts to cost us something.
 
Thirdly, the worries of this world and thirst for riches serves as obstacles to God's word. We cannot serve God and money. For God's word to bear fruits in our lives, we need to patiently listen to it, understand it, have strong roots by dwelling and meditating on it deeply, and then living it out daily. 
 
May the word of God we listen to daily yield a fruitful harvest in our lives. Amen.

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