Verse of the day
Romans 10:17
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Romans 10:17
Amen! Faith comes through hearing the Word of God (or reading).
'That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “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. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For 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. “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives 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. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”'
Matthew 13:1-23
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.13.1-23
What is sticking out to me more than anything in this moment is that the crowd was so large that He sat in a boat. He was originally sitting by the shore, but He got in a boat, not to leave, but to talk to them. He made room for them on the shore and this boat became His platform to preach His Word to them. He “sat” in the boat rather than stood in it. This is sticking out to me. To me, sitting represents getting comfortable. He was investing time in them. I absolutely love that the Lord makes time for us. He “sits” with us. He doesn’t just stay on some lofty throne like kings of this world that look at us as inferior to them. He is the King of Kings and truly is the highest and most powerful authority, yet He makes room for us and invests time in us. He came to serve and not to be served. Wow! Thank You, Jesus!! I am also seeing this boat He is sitting in as a “throne”. He is enthroned over all no matter where He sits. This could serve to teach us that the Word of God can be preached outside the church walls. Anything or place can become a “pulpit”. Another detail to point out is that the reason why Jesus was preaching on the seashore is because the door to the synagogue was being closed on Him. He did not allow that to stop Him from doing the Father’s will. He kept preaching the Good News outside the synagogue walls, which opened up the way for us to do so. His ministry isn’t about “4 walls,” but instead a world of prodigals that He wants to love and bring home to Himself. The prodigals are not all going to go to church, so we must take the church to them.
Jesus teaches in parables when the message is meant for the spiritually discerned. These messages are for those who are hungry for the Word of God and who will seek out its meaning. Those who are not serious about seeking the Lord will not take the time to learn its meaning. Jesus tells the crowd a parable about a sower who sows seed in various conditions. Some of the seed fell along a path and birds came and ate it up. In this situation, the seed did not make it into the ground in order to grow because the ground was too hard. This represents those who do not receive the Word at all. Some of the seed fell in rocky places where there was not much soil, therefore the plant sprang up quickly, but was then scorched with the sun because there was no root. This represents those who have a quick response and are enthusiastic, but once trials or persecutions come, they fall away because their roots were not deep. Other seed fell among thorns which grew up and choked the plant. This represents those who grow for a while, but then other things compete to stop their progress like idols and the cares of this world. Lastly, seed falls on good ground and produces fruitfulness. We all can have every one of these scenarios in our lives at different times. It is all in how we receive what the Lord is teaching us. I choose to make it my goal, with the Lord’s help, to keep my soil good so that His words take root in my heart and soul and are fruitful. We can keep our soil good soil by daily spending time in prayer, worship, repentance, reading and studying the Word, applying the Word to our lives, obeying the Lord. It is not about the religious rituals, but all about the efforts we are putting into our relationship with the Lord. If we slack on these things, of course our relationship with the Lord will suffer, much like a marriage suffers when one or both partners are slacking off in their acts of love, devotion, and service to their partner. If I have a morning where I do not really feel like praying or I do not feel close to Him, I pray even harder and I confess that to Him and ask for His help. He always honors that request and helps me to get my heart right so that I have good soil! Thank You, Jesus!
Romans 10:17
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Romans 10:17
Amen! Faith comes through hearing the Word of God (or reading).
'That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “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. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For 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. “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives 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. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”'
Matthew 13:1-23
https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.13.1-23
What is sticking out to me more than anything in this moment is that the crowd was so large that He sat in a boat. He was originally sitting by the shore, but He got in a boat, not to leave, but to talk to them. He made room for them on the shore and this boat became His platform to preach His Word to them. He “sat” in the boat rather than stood in it. This is sticking out to me. To me, sitting represents getting comfortable. He was investing time in them. I absolutely love that the Lord makes time for us. He “sits” with us. He doesn’t just stay on some lofty throne like kings of this world that look at us as inferior to them. He is the King of Kings and truly is the highest and most powerful authority, yet He makes room for us and invests time in us. He came to serve and not to be served. Wow! Thank You, Jesus!! I am also seeing this boat He is sitting in as a “throne”. He is enthroned over all no matter where He sits. This could serve to teach us that the Word of God can be preached outside the church walls. Anything or place can become a “pulpit”. Another detail to point out is that the reason why Jesus was preaching on the seashore is because the door to the synagogue was being closed on Him. He did not allow that to stop Him from doing the Father’s will. He kept preaching the Good News outside the synagogue walls, which opened up the way for us to do so. His ministry isn’t about “4 walls,” but instead a world of prodigals that He wants to love and bring home to Himself. The prodigals are not all going to go to church, so we must take the church to them.
Jesus teaches in parables when the message is meant for the spiritually discerned. These messages are for those who are hungry for the Word of God and who will seek out its meaning. Those who are not serious about seeking the Lord will not take the time to learn its meaning. Jesus tells the crowd a parable about a sower who sows seed in various conditions. Some of the seed fell along a path and birds came and ate it up. In this situation, the seed did not make it into the ground in order to grow because the ground was too hard. This represents those who do not receive the Word at all. Some of the seed fell in rocky places where there was not much soil, therefore the plant sprang up quickly, but was then scorched with the sun because there was no root. This represents those who have a quick response and are enthusiastic, but once trials or persecutions come, they fall away because their roots were not deep. Other seed fell among thorns which grew up and choked the plant. This represents those who grow for a while, but then other things compete to stop their progress like idols and the cares of this world. Lastly, seed falls on good ground and produces fruitfulness. We all can have every one of these scenarios in our lives at different times. It is all in how we receive what the Lord is teaching us. I choose to make it my goal, with the Lord’s help, to keep my soil good so that His words take root in my heart and soul and are fruitful. We can keep our soil good soil by daily spending time in prayer, worship, repentance, reading and studying the Word, applying the Word to our lives, obeying the Lord. It is not about the religious rituals, but all about the efforts we are putting into our relationship with the Lord. If we slack on these things, of course our relationship with the Lord will suffer, much like a marriage suffers when one or both partners are slacking off in their acts of love, devotion, and service to their partner. If I have a morning where I do not really feel like praying or I do not feel close to Him, I pray even harder and I confess that to Him and ask for His help. He always honors that request and helps me to get my heart right so that I have good soil! Thank You, Jesus!