The parable of the sower (3)

“Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.” Luke 8:13
The second kind of soil in the parable of the sower is the rocky soil. I enjoy hiking, and it’s amazing to see the places high up in the mountains where plants can grow. But the rockier the ground gets, the smaller and less attractive the plants are. Rocky ground is a hostile environment for a seed to grow. It’s difficult for the plant to take root, and as soon as a storm comes, or when the heat is on, they are unable to survive.
This is the picture of someone who accepts the gospel, but has no root. Sometimes this is because of naivety on the part of the person receiving it, but in many cases at least part of the fault lies with the way the gospel message was presented to them. We need to be very careful what we tell people. We are doing them a great disservice if we tell people that all their problems in life will be fixed if they become a Christian – because this is plainly not true. Rather, as Christians, when we face trouble, we can always depend on God to bring us through. Does your faith stand up in the time of testing? Or do you need to put your roots down deeper into God?