When the Cares of this World are Getting to You.

Jesus told a parable about the sower and the seed, and how the seed is planted on different kinds of soil. The soil represents the state of our hearts and of our minds, and our relationship to the word of God after we hear it being preached. There are four examples in the parable found in Matthew 13, one is the path, the other is rocky places, the other is among thorns and the last example is the seed that fell on good soil. In all these examples the condition of our hearts are represented as I will explain what they are in the parable.

The seed sown on the path represents a heart that doesn’t understand the word of God, the birds that snatch the seed represents Satan, who takes the word away from us. The rocky places represents our hearts when they have no root, we hear the word with joy but with no solid foundation to grow that word or seed, the seed can’t grow and we fall away. Our foundation has to be in Christ in this scenario for the word of God to grow. The seed that is sown among the thorns represents our hearts when we produce no spiritual fruit in our lives because the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22)

And the last example of our hearts in response to hearing the word of God is the good soil. (Matthew 13:23) “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.” The good soil represents our hearts when they are ready and willing to hear and respond to the seed that is being sown. We understand it, and we cultivate it in good soil, not allowing weeds of worry and other “cares of the world” to choke out the word. Our foundation is deep, because our foundation is in Christ, this kind of soil or “heart” produces fruit or a crop, and in turn can truly bless others.

When we become a Christian, our hearts and our minds can be like these different kinds of soil. That is why it’s important to cultivate our understanding of the word of God, in order that we understand it properly and to do everything we can to keep ourselves from worrying too much, in order that the word of God can grow in us so that we can produce the fruit that God requires of us, in order to bless others. This is Mike.

Comments

Some Bible Verses on Money.

Bible verses about money. I bet you didn’t think the bible said that? Proverbs 23:5 When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Proverbs 13:11 Wealth quickly gained is quickly wasted — easy come, easy go! But if you gradually gain wealth, you will watch it grow. Psalm 62:10 Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing. And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the centre of your life. Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that

How Believing in God Changes Your Perspective on Time.

When you have an awareness of the Divine your perspective on time changes. Uncertainty can be the cause of a lack of belief in God. In generations past our culture has had more of an awareness of God and lived with more certainty. The bible is not just a story book for the present moment, it contains the past, the present, and the future in it. The Holy Spirit can give us a perspective that holds the past, the present, and the future, and allows us to see God’s whole picture, despite what we may be feeling or experiencing around us or in our lives. Trials and persecution can make it difficult to see the whole picture, but I believe that it’s a gift of God to live with this perspective. Unbelief can hinder us from “seeing it all” and insecurities and weaknesses can also disable us from living with this certainty. Also the fear of death, or impending doom, can erase God’s perspective of the future, because our minds get clouded with fear, and we are not able to perceive reality prope

Why has the church lost its capacity and power?

The church has modernized itself and in the process has lost something very valuable. It has lost its capacity to be personable. The way we reach lost souls is by seeing them, by getting to know them, and by recognizing them, but people are getting lost in the church. The church has become a busy place and is also becoming a less holy place. To make disciples we have to get to know people, and technology in the church is depersonalizing souls, and depersonalizing God for them. Faith becomes a marketable commodity, whereas in the past, churches and their leaders nourished and valued personal faith. While faith is still valued, it’s becoming something that is marketable, which reminds me of the story of Jesus in the temple turning over tables (Matthew 21:12-17). The problem isn’t that the church doesn’t work or doesn’t want to share the gospel, it could be how we are doing it. The church is currently being run like a business, and each Christian metaphorically speaking has a profit val

The Super Blogosphere of a parallel word.

Search This Blog