Good Morning Friends,
One may wonder why God subjected our bodies to futility when our hearts are doing the sinning. Few people wake up in the morning outraged at the evil of their hearts and the curse of Adam. We get outraged at others evil but not our own at least until our bodies groan in pain. We should desire our hearts would change. And the interesting thing is that we can live more fearlessly when we know we have a purpose and that the suffering we have can have a purpose too. Think about it, our suffering exposes our sin and that is relevant for our life not just now but forever. The beauty of the severe mercy of suffering is that it leads us to repentance, a greater reliance on God and yes righteousness, and even a reward of a better life. But it starts often in the revelation of the horror of sin we see described in today’s text from Romans. Friends, we do not have all the answers, and I am not one to seek suffering, but we can still ask a related question. So, Have You Wondered How God Challenges Our Hearts Not To Sin By Sowing The Word Of God In Us?
Scripture: That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: ‘You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn— and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Matthew 13:1-23 (NRSV)
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Romans 8:18-23 (NRSV)
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:1-11 (NRSV)
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NRSV)
Message: It has been said that a Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t falling apart. I really do not know if that is true about physical things but in things spiritual it is a truth I would trust and embrace. You see I have logged in about 10,000 hours of Bible related study in the last 40 years and the well-worn pages of my Bibles tell a story. My Bibles have suffered use. The pages are falling out and the binding broken. Every wrinkle on my aging face marks a spot in the good book where I got a glimpse of God. The notes written in the margin, though not as many as those of some of my friends, are still reminders of lessons learned now retained in my muscle memory. The cracked, fall apart bindings of one of my Bibles reveals in its brokenness a strength even as my own body ages. The Word made flesh shows us the truth about who we are, why we need Him, and who we can be in Him and how He through His Word can be in us. It is a light that shows us where to go, who to trust, and how to be filled with joy. It is the way we develop a relationship with Jesus…to know and love the Lord. Here the soul of a word is revealed in relations. Each word echoes with the voice of God. Every one of the books points to Jesus. Every verse reveals His plan, His purposes, and His passion. Friends, every time we open our Bibles we come into His presence and have the chance for a fresh start, new beginning, radical transformation, or quiet grace. Do you want to flourish? Do you want to be fruitful? Do you want to sow the seeds of the faith? Then, fill yourself with the words of God. His Word will not return to Him without fulfilling His deepest desire in you.
And So, surely today’s scripture and Gospel readings have challenged our hearts. I am certain we all battle pride. Left unchecked, pride has devastating effects on our lives. Though we seek the Lord for the strength necessary to commit to humble service for Him, we realize that we are defective and perishable and often do not produce the fruit God intends. We have a tendency for pride, self-satisfaction and self-promotion. The way we were designed to fall apart physically gives us an opportunity to have a change of heart as God unleashes the power of His Word in our lives. Thankfully Jesus reveals the remedy for pride. God gives us a stunning promise in the book of Isaiah about what will happen when we allow Him to unleash the power of His Word in our lives. Today’s scripture is also about how God opens our eyes to His ways. And it relates to Jesus’ parable of the sower and how the seeds of faith fall on different soil and why we must keep sowing seeds of love that never die. The thing is that faith believes even when we cannot see. You see, God wants to open our eyes to the truth of Jesus… God wants us to gain spiritual sight so we can follow in kingdom service sowing seeds of faith and love. We cannot listen to the naysayers. We must do our part with faith. We must learn what is in it for us even if it means some suffering, some study, some service and some surrender. The beauty is that all this can lead to repentance, greater reliance on God, righteousness and even a surprising reward of a better life.
Pray today we open our Bibles and meet God in its pages. Pray we be good soil even though the intent of the sower is more important. Pray we not read just to check it off our list or quiet our guilt. Pray we still our spirits and listen for the voice of God. Pray we let our hearts beat in anticipation of being with the One who loves us beyond measure. Pray the horror of our sins be revealed to us even as they are forgiven. Pray we let the richness of His Word feed our deepest hunger. Pray we let the living waters of His presence fill the deep crevices of our souls. Pray our well-loved Bibles be reflections of hearts that have taken a journey of joy. Pray we observe what scripture says, interpret correctly what it means and apply what it prompts us to do. Pray the words of God unleased in prayer breathe life into our souls.
Pray that who we are and what we do helps others to know the beauty of the Word. Pray in the wisdom of the brokenness of the Body of Christ that our own brokenness reveals God’s will for us.
Pray the eyes of our hearts are opened by the Lord. Pray we are ready to do the will of God, so that we can yield a hundredfold wherever we are, even with our own brokenness. Pray that we are fruitful in our life listening to the Word, understanding it, doing His will with His grace and blessing. Pray the Heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all.
Blessings,
John Lawson
As an added bonus we have a painting from Brueghel. It depicts the parable of the sower as told in the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke about the reception of the Gospel. The painting shows a farmer throwing seed on a pasture. To the left are thorny bushes that will overgrow the grain. Next to it are rocks where the grain may grow fast but where it will not persist. To the right, down the hill, the seed has fallen in good soil. Across the river a group has gathered to listen to the preaching of Jesus. Bruegel made this panel after a journey to Italy. On his way back to the Low Countries he travelled through the Alps. The mountain landscape inspired him for the background of this painting.
Daily Devotionals 