Good Morning Friends,
Today we are encouraged to be a garden with the right soil, giving attention to God’s Word and not letting our problems choke out the joy of life. Hopefully we will learn something new to help us on the journey. It starts in the Garden of Eden and that sets the foundation for the story. The focus today however is on how to cultivate our hearts for a spiritual harvest learning about God’s provision even in the desert of life after the fall. Today we read about the parable of the Sower, the soil, the seed, and the state of our condition. The parable is told by Jesus the same day that He was rejected by the religious leaders of Jerusalem. With the backdrop of this very important event in Holy History we explore the state of our conditions…. we ask ourselves whether we have spiritual roots at all or if we have shallow, strangled or deep roots. Today we look at the importance of putting down roots and our need to pull our personal weeds on a regular basis. Today we discover once again the power of God’s Word in our lives as daily bread even as we ask: How Good Are We At Sowing God’s Word?
Scripture: God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Genesis 1:29-31 (NRSV)
The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from Elim; and Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’” And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning, you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15 (NRSV)
The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’ But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.’ Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, ‘Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.’
Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10 (NRSV)
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!”
Matthew 13:1-9 (NRSV)
Message: How is it that the same Word of God produces such drastically different results in the lives of people and their values? The results are more varied than translational differences can explain. The results are perplexing. The same question has been asked across history and even today…why? Why do people reject Jesus, the Word made flesh even when the Holy Spirit is so obviously present? Why do we reject each other? Jesus’ parable helps us to understand the dynamics. We see that good ministry produces different results in the hearers. Here we learn that the seed at first responds favorably in three of the four soils. Here it is important to note that even a few seeds sown on good soil can ultimately revolutionize a community and church with an abundant harvest. But we must give the Word time to work. Don’t miss the point. If you find good soil, cultivate it but never forget to sow the seed as broadly as you can. We as the Body of Christ are to preach to the masses even without words…recognizing that all those seeds of love that sprout give some witness… but we are also to minister to individuals recognizing that even a small group…a few seeds sown on good soil can accomplish much.In the parable of the Sower, the seeds represent the good news. The soil represents our responses to the good news. And here, if we listen and hear, God’s word becomes a spiritual weed killer. Here we discover that if we truly want to live spiritually productive lives, then we need to plow the field and prepare our hearts to receive God’s word. We need to weed and read daily. We need to put down roots and persevere through trials… we need to pursue the spiritual riches of the word and water. We need to plow, plant, water and weed the garden of our soul. We need daily bread, not just a bite once a week.
And So, God has a special relationship with those he calls into daily service. And it is a diverse group of individuals when it comes to growing spiritually but we all have been called, in our own unique ways, to build up the Body by planting and tending the Word in our own lives as well as sharing this with others. Unfortunately, some carry out this role by being an example of what not to do. We are, however, accountable to each other whether we know it or not. And like Jeremiah, if we care and are called, God provides a way for us even though we are all inadequate for the job. Yes, God uses mere mortals, but God also knows us and our failings. The thing is that the story is not about us but about the sovereignty of God. Friends, we choose God only because God first chose us. So, maybe with all the work of seeding and watering and waiting we should trust God more. Maybe God has us right where we need to be. Sure, it can be confusing with all the ups and downs of life. Sometimes we are in and sometimes we are out. But maybe all the things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Maybe every valley has a purpose and every mountain a purpose and every desert a purpose and every struggle has a purpose. And yes, every seed and weed if we wait and trust. Maybe friends, God is going to use everything we go through in life to get us where we need to be.
Pray we realize that God wants a daily relationship with each of us. Praythat we each nurture the seeds of love and goodness planted in our lives. Pray we thank God for the provision. Pray that these seeds are strengthened by the Word so that our faith takes root, thrives, and grows strong. Pray that in God’s time, by His grace and for His glory we develop deep roots. Pray that we hear the message of patience and hope. Pray that we rejoice in the promise of the harvest. Pray we bear fruit with seeds for the ongoing sowing of the Word. Pray that we be of a seed sown from heaven but be of some earthly good. Pray today we thank all the spiritual farmers that are the results of seeds cultivated. Pray that when we hear God’s word that we listen. Pray we understand. Pray we believe and know the joy of life. Pray that we are being rooted and established in love. Pray we do not allow the weeds of faithlessness and selfishness to creep in and grow in our hearts. Pray we weed out anxieties. Pray we weed out wicked ways. Pray we weed out iniquities, transgressions, and sins. Pray with repentance as God weeds out the garden of our souls….as God produces a great and transformational harvest. Pray we cultivate great relationships that produce fruit for the Kingdom. Pray we stop complaining and trust God to provide an opportunity for us to work out our salvation.Pray we reflect on the root of the matter.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 