20 Scriptural Ways to Cultivate a “Good and Noble” Heart That Will Bear Fruit

Three of the gospel writers record a story Jesus told known as the “Parable of the Sower” (Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8). This story is rightly interpreted as an evangelistic lesson, with the attention focused on the different conditions that might be found in a man’s heart when he is introduced to the Word of God, the Gospel.

Jesus uses an illustration His listeners would understand, that of sowing seed.

Mark 4:3-8 – “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

What Does This Parable Mean?

In each case, the sower spreads the same seed in the same way, by casting it widely over the soil. One would expect the same results, but that’s not the case. What makes the difference? The condition of the soil. The spiritual application becomes quite clear and practical as Jesus explains the meaning of the parable.

Luke 8:11-15 – “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”

An uncultivated heart will not produce the lasting, abundant, spiritual fruit that is possible and desirable. Our hearts can be so hard that the Word literally bounces off with no effect; immediately the devil takes away the Word that we heard to keep us from believing it. The rocky soil Jesus speaks of is not just filled with stones, but represents that hard, unyielding table of rock hidden several inches below what appears to be fertile soil. This is a picture of all the hurtful, hidden things in our mind and heart that we never fully deal with, and keeps the seed from taking root. When God’s Word starts to “dig too deep” we fall away, afraid and unwilling to let Him heal us. The third type of soil appears to embrace truth, but never comes to maturity, as we also embrace the world with its riches and worries and pleasures. God’s Word is “choked out” and fails to produce lasting fruit.

The Word That Falls on Good Soil

The good soil is the heart that receives the word and holds it fast, allowing it to take root and grow and mature, and ultimately to produce eternal, lasting, abundant fruit for the kingdom of God. This heart is described as honest, good, and noble.

The Holy Spirit is the only one who can give us a “good heart” that will receive the word and bear the fruit of salvation. He gives us a heart of flesh instead of stone (Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26) and enlightens our spiritual understanding to receive the truth (2 Corinthians 4:6, Ephesians 1:18-19). This is the central point of Jesus’ parable, a lesson to those who go out to sow the gospel and observe the different responses to the same message of truth. Ultimately, it’s a heart issue in the listener, not a failure of the sower or the seed.

The parable also has a lesson for those who are already Christ-followers. Jesus commanded His disciples to abide in Him, and therefore produce fruit that reveals a genuine, enduring faith.

John 15:4-8 – “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”

We are responsible to cultivate and keep a “noble and good heart” so that the Word of God continues to bear fruit pleasing to God. Here are twenty ways that Scripture addresses our heart and shows us what we can do practically in submission to the Holy Spirit’s work in us – a work that produces spiritual fruit in abundance.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Ben White

20 Signs of a Good and Noble Heart

1. We must ask God for a new heart.

Acts 15:8-9 – “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.”

Ezekiel 36:26 – “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

2. We must guard our heart.

Proverbs 4:23 – “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”

3. We must incline our heart to understanding.

Proverbs 2:2 – “Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding.”

4. We must prioritize the right things.

Matthew 6:20-21 – “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

5. We must honor God with our heart, not just our words.

Matthew 15:8 – “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”

Romans 1:21 – “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

6. We must pursue purity.

2 Timothy 2:22 – “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

James 4:8 – “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

7. We must believe God.

Mark 8:17 – “And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart?’”

Proverbs 28:14 – “How blessed is the man who fears always, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.”

Luke 24:38 – “And He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?’”

John 14:1, 27 – “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. … Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

8. We must love God with our whole heart.

Mark 12:30 – “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

9. We must ask God to enlighten the eyes of our heart.

Ephesians 1:18 – “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”

10. We must keep a tender heart by forgiving others.

Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

11. We must ask God to examine our hearts.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 – “But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.”

Psalm 139:23-24 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.”

12. We must worship from the heart.

Ephesians 5:19 – “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.”

Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Acts 2:46 –“ Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.”

13. We must obey from the heart, not just outwardly.

Romans 6:17 – “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed.”

14. We must submit to the Holy Spirit’s work in our heart.

Acts 7:51 – “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.”

15. We must be diligent to study God’s Word.

Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

2 Timothy 2:15 – “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

16. We must be willing to repent with humility.

Romans 2:5 – “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”

17. We must sanctify Christ as Lord in our heart.

1 Peter 3:15 – “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”

18. We must spend time in prayer.

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Hebrews 10:22 – “Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

19. We must seek to have a heart of humility.

Proverbs 21:2, 4 – “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts. … Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, is sin.”

20. We must encourage one another.

Hebrews 3:12-16 – “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, ‘Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.’”

Photo credit: Unsplash/Ben White

Author Sheila Alewine is a pastor’s wife, mother, and grandmother of five. She and her husband lead Around The Corner Ministries, which serves to equip Christ-followers to share the gospel where they live, work and play. She has written seven devotionals including Just Pray: God’s Not Done With You Yet, Grace & Glory: 50 Days in the Purpose & Plan of God, and her newest one, Give Me A Faith Like That, as well as Going Around The Corner, a Bible study for small groups who desire to reach their communities for Christ. Their ministry also offers disciple-making resources like One-To-One Disciple-Making in partnership with Multiplication Ministries. Sheila has a passion for God’s Word and shares what God is teaching her on her blog, The Way of The Word. Connect with her on her blog, Facebook, and Instagram.