Even as listening carefully to a riddle may present a challenge, so also paying close attention to or hearing spiritual things is not easy. It is vitally important to listen properly, guarding against distractions. In Christ's parable of the Sower, the seeds in category three fall among the thorns, symbolic of the cares and anxieties of the world, choking out their ability to bear fruit. For those in category four, those who cling to the truth with endurance, bearing abundant fruit, will receive a crown of life, hidden manna, a white stone, the morning star, becoming a metaphorical pillar in the temple, a new name, and the privilege to reign with Christ a thousand years. For those in category three (perhaps also known as the Laodiceans), their inability to bear fruit seriously jeopardizes their opportunity for salvation unless they earnestly repent and begin bearing fruit. We must sharpen our spiritual acuity as the distractions crescendo in the coming years.