This week, I wrote that the Word of God is like planting seeds into our soul. When planting seeds, there is a need for the soil to be fertile so the seed will grow into a bountiful harvest.
So it is when we plant God’s Word into our heart. If our hearts are ready and receptive, the spiritual seed will flourish and be a treasure of great value.
Like Jesus taught in the Parable of the Soils in the devotional Getting the Heart Ready, the word of God planted in a soul with integrity is like seed planted in fertile soil that flourishes into a banner crop. Bible study and prayer therefore should be a top priority.
In getting our heart ready to be receptive to God’s Word, find a place and time where there are no distractions. Have a desire to hear from God, escape the distractions of the world, be still, and just listen to God’s voice.
Pray for wisdom, believe in His goodness, have faith He will bring blessings, and worship through music. Here’s a video to help get your day started: Stop the World – Matthew West.
And the Words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times. – Psalm 12:6
Jesus and the disciples went from town to town proclaiming the Good News as explained in Luke 8:1-21. Some of the disciples had left fairly lucrative businesses but now were living day by day with whatever support they could get. Some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases also came with them to help support them (v. 3).
In each town, large crowds would gather around Jesus. He would teach by telling parables so the people could understand. The parable of the four soils was told because most of the people in the area were familiar with agriculture. The purpose of this parable was to explain how God’s Word has power and can produce spiritual fruit. It is like seed and the most important aspect of planting seeds are that they are planted in good soil.
In order for God’s word to grow and be productive in the lives of people, the heart must be ready to hear, retain, and persevere; they must be ready to listen and apply what is taught. When the Word of God is put into practice, lives become productive in a similar fashion to producing a banner crop in agriculture.
It is the same with each of us today. Our heart must be ready to accept God’s Word and in order to get it ready, one thought is to find ways to memorize scripture in our daily activities. Many times, we get into traffic while trying to get to our destination and it can be frustrating. This is a good time to memorize scripture. While waiting for the light to change green, recite a verse in your mind.
On the job, we have to solve problems. There are many lessons in God’s Word or scriptures we can memorize that can prepare our hearts and minds to solve difficult problems. At home, we are constantly making decisions. Some of these decisions may include how to budget our money, what to buy, what to make for dinner, what to wear, chores to be done, priorities, etc. so lessons from God’s Word and specific scripture can be used to help with these decisions.
By spending time with God in prayer, our minds are opened to His help and direction but we must have a responsive heart by listening attentively and cooperating as He guides us in our daily living.
Lord, today, we pray for your help in learning and applying Your principles because then we are productive. Help us to understand your principles in the Bible; prepare our hearts to be receptive to Your Word. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
We all can show the same attitude toward others as Jesus did just like the passage written about in the post Deep Respect. We can see potential in others and be motivated to action by God’s love for us. Here’s a video to inspire our day with God: Show Me How To Love – Sidewalk Prophets.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8
The ministry of Jesus is not one-sided as the scene in Luke 7:36-50 explains. In this scene, we have a Pharisee who invites Jesus over for dinner. Jesus is always open to invitations and even though Jesus knew that the Pharisees were against His ministry, He also knew that they needed to hear the Word just as much as anyone else.
Also in this scene, is a woman who was known to have lived a sinful life coming over to the Pharisee’s house with an alabaster jar of perfume. She was weeping and began to wet the feet of Jesus with her tears. Then she used her hair to wipe His feet and she anointed His feet with perfume.
During this time in history, a Jewish women letting down her hair in public was a disgrace. Simon the Pharisee must have been embarrassed and Jesus knew the thoughts of Simon so He shared a parable to explain how it is not the amount of sin that makes a person spiritually bankrupt but it is just the fact that there is any sin at all. Jesus explains that Simon was guilty of the sin of pride and the woman was guilty of the sins of the flesh.
Jesus explained that the woman repented of her sins and put her faith in Him. Kissing the feet of a teacher was a sign of deep respect. Jesus went on to explain that the Pharisees refused to admit their sin and believed only God could forgive them. They could not understand how Jesus could make the statement that the woman’s sins were forgiven (vv. 43-50). They didn’t understand that Jesus was God.
This day with God, we can show the same attitude toward others as Jesus did by giving them deep respect. We can see potential in each other. There is a reward for all who are open, humble, and loving. Lord, help us to be motivated to action by our deep respect of You and the desire to help others accept Your love.
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