Mark 4:1-20 (NIV)

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."

Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,

"'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"

Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires or other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop - thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times what was sown."

Do you ever take those online personality tests, the ones where you answer a few questions and find out which TV character you are, or which color represents you?  If so, here's your chance to categorize yourself once more!  Anytime Jesus divides humanity up into categories, the first thing we ought to wonder is, "which one am I?"

So take a moment to think about your life and see which one of these descriptions fits you best.  Which seed are you?

The Path Seed - Although you may have grown up in a Christian environment, God's word never really took root in your life.  "Christian" has always been more of a social label than a spiritual one, if you even consider yourself Christian at all.  And while you might go to church and visit Christian websites (like this one), you don't really feel very connected to God.  In fact, if you're honest with yourself, you're life's not that different from how it would be if you weren't a Christian.  Whatever that passion is that some people have about Christ, that's not something you've experienced firsthand.

The Rocky Seed - You wanna talk about passion?  You've got it, baby!  At least sometimes.  You really love God, and you're totally on fire for Christ... as long as you're around other Christians.  The trouble is, when it comes to taking difficult stands, you've never been very good at that.  You cave into pressure.  A lot.  You're not the kind of person to talk about Jesus around your non-Christian friends, and you're ashamed to admit that you don't really act like a Christian when you're around them either.  You want to do better, and you know that you should, but it's just so hard.

The Thorny Seed - No doubt about it, you're a Christian.  And all in all, you're a pretty decent human being.  You're not perfect, but who is?  To be honest, you know you ought to spend more time with God, having quiet times and Bible studies, and you really do plan to do that sometime.  If only you weren't so busy.  You've got a lot of stuff going on right now, and a lot of things on your mind.  You do pray, but mostly quick prayers at certain times of the day or as needs arise.  And your Bible has a bit of a tendency to gather dust in between readings.  But it's not like you're not a committed Christian, because you really are.  You just get, well, a little distracted.  There's school and work and money issues and relationships and health and recreation and before you know it, the day's over and you never got around to those things you meant to do for God.  One of these days, though...

The Fruitful Seed - A relationship with God isn't just something you talk about; it's something you experience.  Every day.  And it's amazing.  You make time for God every day, often having long, intimate conversations that leave you feeling refreshed.  You study the Bible regularly, and you're always learning new things during that time.  More importantly, you put what you learn into practice.  God's love and truth shine through you in a way that even your enemies can't deny.  And you're making a difference for the kingdom of God, something that could accurately be called even a hundred times greater than the seed that was sown in you.

So, which one is you?  Be honest with yourself.

Are there things God wants you to change in your life to make it more fruitful?  If so, what steps do you need to take to make those changes?

Will you make them?