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Barnabas Bulletin ~ 0077 CULTIVATING THE WORD IN OUR HEARTS
In recent times I have been challenged again by the Parable of the Sower ~ how the same Seed fell into four different places and, in three out of the four, the Seed was unable to produce what it was given for. The Seed is the Word of God. God sends His Word and, once that Word has been sent, then we have the responsibility to receive, cultivate and nurture that Seed to enable it to produce the right fruit in our life.
The Seed that fell by the wayside did not make any impact because of the demonic activity that prevails there ~ it was robbed before it even got started (Matthew 13:19)! The seed that fell on stony places had a quick and positive reception, but because it was only a shallow response, soon died from the heat of the persecution. Jesus said they “had no root in themselves” (Mark 4:17). The seed that fell among thorns actually prospered for a time, and came to a place of starting to produce fruit, but because other things were not dealt with in the life, there were double standards and a “trying to have the best of both worlds” (which never works). The Bible calls “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches” as being thorns (Matthew 13:22)! In time those thorns grow up to choke the effectiveness and fruitfulness of the Seed of the Word of God ~ and it becomes unfruitful! Then there was the good ground that produced a harvest. The good ground “hears and understands” (Matthew 13:23), who “with a noble (“honest, excellent”)and good heart, keep it (the Seed/Word) and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15). Any Seed that fails to produce what it was sent or created for becomes a dismal waste! If we fail to rightly cultivate the Seed of God’s Word, and give it its rightful place in our life, then we are opening ourselves up to being deceived by the very things that are distracting our focus on Jesus and His Word to us. Lest we be casual about this, remember that 75% of the Seed (God’s Seed) was wasted! Only a minority makes it to the place of being fruitful and multiplying!That means that we have to keep our eyes and ears open to guard that these “other things” do not take root in our hearts. As with the case of Saul, the first king of Israel, he lost his authority, kingship and anointing because he “spared the good things” that God had told him to utterly destroy (1 Samuel 15; see also 1 John 2:15-17). He paid a very high price for partial obedience! For many Christians, it is not the “bad” things that are tripping us up, but it is the “good” things . . . those things that are seen as being quite acceptable to the way we live. Today we see so many Christian activities that are built around pleasures and entertainment, living for the moment, rather than hearing and understanding the purposes of God for our life. The truth is: we do reap what we sow (Galatians 6:1-10)! It is a principle of life and it applies whether we are a Christian or not. So, the questions have to be asked:
The answers are always found in our obedience and commitment to the Seed/Word of God. Let it be deeply sown and cultivated in our heart, so we will bring forth a 30, 60 and 100 percent harvest! ~ Rodney W. Francis. Bible Readings: Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-25; and Luke 8:4-18. Please Pray This Prayer: “Dear God, I come to You in the All-powerful name of Jesus Christ Your Son. I ask You to help me to be able to more clearly discern Your Voice and Word to my life. Help me to cultivate the Seed of Your Word more and more in my life, that I will become more fruitful than ever before. Please help me to make those wise decisions that will glorify You, rather than living to serve my own desires. Help me to let go even of the ‘good things’ that are offensive to You. I do want to bring forth fruit in abundance in my life. I do want to demonstrate my love for You by doing what You say. In Jesus’ name I pray this, Amen.” The Gospel Faith Messenger Ministry, New Zealand. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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