Day 48: The Best Things In Life: Need To Be Cultivated
Read: Luke 8:1 - 15 - The Parable of The Sower
The Parable of the sower, is a very familiar portion of scripture. When
I first read this story I thought that this parable was all about how
someone's heart responds to hearing the saving message of the gospel.
Over time, I came to realize that this story is not just about hearing
the salvation message. It is as much about hearing it as it is taking
the time to knowing where your heart is at the moment God’s Word comes
to us. It took me a while to realize that the condition of our heart in
the midst of where our life is at the moment we hear it will go a very long way towards determining
what happens to that Word how our lives experience transformation.
Because life is hard and unfair, our hearts will respond and become hardened. There will be little or no emotion. When other people attack you, malign you,
abuse you, gossip about you, slander you, or hurt you, the natural
response is to first protect yourself. You will either rise up and lash
back, recoil and put up a wall to shield yourself from continued attack
or you will run in order to escape. As you harbor those images and
words, if you do not allow God to bring you healing and help, you can
become hardened by bitterness. Through unrelenting resentment, your life can become so
hard that your heart is unresponsive to God’s Word your life becomes bitter, experiences little or no change.
and mostly blinded to the possibility of transformation
Another condition of the heart can be
like the stony ground. Here the Word comes to the person but it does not
have a lasting impact for there is no root that goes deep into their
heart. This is the person that comes to church looking for an emotional
lift. They hear the Word of God and they accept it with joy, but they
don’t do anything more with it after they leave the sanctuary. It
doesn't grow to become a blossom. It does not receive sufficient Son light then finds itself slowly withering away to nothing; "They believe for a while,
but in the time of testing they fall away."
The third
type of heart is the thorny heart. "The seed that fell among thorns
stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked
by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature."(v. 14)
This kind of heart is distracted and anxious. Instead of having their
mind and heart devoted to pleasing God and pursuing righteousness, they
are divided. "What is it that I’m really living for? Am I living for
myself or for God and my neighbor? Am I working too hard to remain in
control or is God? Will I strive to meet my own needs or will I let God
take control?
The fourth kind of heart is the noble and good
heart. "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good
heart, who hear the word, retain it and by persevering produce a
crop."(V.15) The person with a good heart, hears the word, applies it to
their life and then receives a harvest of spiritual fruit. The heart
that is like good soil is fertile ground for God to use. God wants to
see His Word produce fruit in our lives. God wants to produce change and
he desires to make your life fruitful and Christlike, but it all
depends on the spiritual condition of your own heart.
Let Us
Pray: Lord, please examine my heart today. Prepare it to receive Your
words of truth that my my spirit may be awakened, that I may work to
cultivate and change the life ground that I walk and strive to bear much
more fruit for Your kingdom thru the way I live and work for You and my
neighbor. Inn Jesus' name --- Amen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9Xb8hVimU4
Read: Luke 8:1 - 15 - The Parable of The Sower
The Parable of the sower, is a very familiar portion of scripture. When I first read this story I thought that this parable was all about how someone's heart responds to hearing the saving message of the gospel. Over time, I came to realize that this story is not just about hearing the salvation message. It is as much about hearing it as it is taking the time to knowing where your heart is at the moment God’s Word comes to us. It took me a while to realize that the condition of our heart in the midst of where our life is at the moment we hear it will go a very long way towards determining what happens to that Word how our lives experience transformation.
Because life is hard and unfair, our hearts will respond and become hardened. There will be little or no emotion. When other people attack you, malign you, abuse you, gossip about you, slander you, or hurt you, the natural response is to first protect yourself. You will either rise up and lash back, recoil and put up a wall to shield yourself from continued attack or you will run in order to escape. As you harbor those images and words, if you do not allow God to bring you healing and help, you can become hardened by bitterness. Through unrelenting resentment, your life can become so hard that your heart is unresponsive to God’s Word your life becomes bitter, experiences little or no change. and mostly blinded to the possibility of transformation
Another condition of the heart can be like the stony ground. Here the Word comes to the person but it does not have a lasting impact for there is no root that goes deep into their heart. This is the person that comes to church looking for an emotional lift. They hear the Word of God and they accept it with joy, but they don’t do anything more with it after they leave the sanctuary. It doesn't grow to become a blossom. It does not receive sufficient Son light then finds itself slowly withering away to nothing; "They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away."
The third type of heart is the thorny heart. "The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature."(v. 14) This kind of heart is distracted and anxious. Instead of having their mind and heart devoted to pleasing God and pursuing righteousness, they are divided. "What is it that I’m really living for? Am I living for myself or for God and my neighbor? Am I working too hard to remain in control or is God? Will I strive to meet my own needs or will I let God take control?
The fourth kind of heart is the noble and good heart. "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it and by persevering produce a crop."(V.15) The person with a good heart, hears the word, applies it to their life and then receives a harvest of spiritual fruit. The heart that is like good soil is fertile ground for God to use. God wants to see His Word produce fruit in our lives. God wants to produce change and he desires to make your life fruitful and Christlike, but it all depends on the spiritual condition of your own heart.
Let Us Pray: Lord, please examine my heart today. Prepare it to receive Your words of truth that my my spirit may be awakened, that I may work to cultivate and change the life ground that I walk and strive to bear much more fruit for Your kingdom thru the way I live and work for You and my neighbor. Inn Jesus' name --- Amen
http://www.youtube.com/
Kari Jobe - Steady My Heart (Lyrics On Screen Video HD) New Christian Music 2012
www.youtube.com
Artist: Kari Jobe Song: Steady My Heart Genres: CCM, Christian Pop, Worship Album: Where I Find
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