Make Way for the Master Planter

Today I read the parable about the sower & the seeds and realized something not so awesome…depending on the day, my soil & success of the seed just might differ.😑

Jesus tells of a farmer who sows seed & the subsequent success of the seed (or lack thereof) depending on the soil that received it.

🌱Seeds that fell on a foot path were quickly eaten by the birds.

 👉🏽 This represents those who hear the word & don’t understand it. There are days I read the Bible & leave early without understanding because my to do list is oh-so-long… The lack of understanding leaves a wide open door for the enemy to snatch Truth away from our hearts😳

🌱Seeds  that fell on shallow soil with rock beneath it sprouted quickly, but also wilted quickly for lack of deep roots. 

👉🏽This is a visual of the days that we fall away from Truth as soon as problems surface. The lack of deep roots make us vulnerable to the enemy’s sly lies.

🌱Other seeds fell among thorns that choked out the tender plants. If there were any soil that represents my hard days, it’d be this.

👉🏽The thorns are a picture of the worries of this life & how they choke out the seeds of Truth that would trump even the worst of circumstances.

🌱Lastly there are seeds that fell on fertile soil & produced crops that 30, 60 & even 100xs more than what was planted!

👉🏽This is the kinda soil I seek to have on the daily…a heart that truly listens long to understand God’s Word SO THAT seeds of Truth might take deep root & result in an inexplicable harvest in the lives of those around me!

Father, help us to create margin in our lives that makes way for our Master planter! Help us deal sparingly with the things this world thrusts upon us so that our soil remains a rich place to receive Your Word!

That we are invited to do much is inevitable.

👉🏽That we DO too much is a choice.

Help us choose You!

Give us eyes to see & ears to hear Your seeds of Truth! Regardless of the birds, rocks or thorns that come, may our roots grow deep & produce a harvest that is beyond anything we can fathom or imagine!

#OneYearBible

January 19th One Year Bible Readings

GENESIS 39:1-41:16

MATTHEW 12:46-13:23

PSALM 17:1-15

PROVERBS 3:33-35

Joy That Makes No Sense Can Only Come With a Firm Foundation

Last night I sent the lyrics of a song I’ve had on repeat to my son, Isaiah, as a reminder to both of us that it does not matter what storms of life come…rain WILL come & wind WILL blow, but we need not be shaken for our house is built on a Bedrock Who holds us firm.

Isaiah 1st shared that song with me after he heard it at Passion conference. When he did, goosebumps rose from head to toe as the lyrics ministered to deep recesses in my heart.

This past year has been a doozy. I’d hoped that the start of a new year would also be the start of no more hard things, but the storm winds continue to blow. If it hadn’t been for Jesus as my Rock Who holds me steady, I think the wind & waves may have ovretaken me like a typhoon!

The song is called, “Firm Foundation” & right after the lyricist proclaims,

“Christ is my firm Foundation

The Rock on which I Stand”,

he writes something that catches the listener, (at least me anyway), off guard.:

When everything around me is shaking

I’ve never been more glad”

Wait, what? Glad?

I can’t say that I’ve “never been more glad” when everything around me is shaking.

King David writes about this in Psalm 16. He begs God to keep him safe. But then? Then he proclaims what he knows without hesitation & follows it with a resolution & reminder:

“You know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad…”

That word for shaken means to totter, shake or slip. When rains come & winds blow, it can be hard to stand steady with faith that doesn’t teeter, totter or slip. Sometimes the very real circumstances unfolding before us present themselves as more true than the Truth we know…our firm Foundation!

Father, thank You for Your Son Who died without hesitation so that He might become our firm Foundation. When things feel shaky, let us not be stirred. Your Presence gives us joy that makes no sense!

Strengthen our faith as we remember that even if the things we face result in death of our earthly bodies, that we get to spend eternity with You! Whatever the result may be, we ALWAYS win because You conquered death! You are God with us & we will not be shaken for You will not fail us now!

#OneYearBible

January 18th One Year Bible Readings

GENESIS 37:1-38:30

MATTHEW 12:22-45

PSALM 16:1-11

PROVERBS 3:27-32

Does My Life Reflect the Resistless Appeal of My Redeemer?

Sometimes I wish I could’ve walked the earth at the same time as Jesus to bear witness to His resistless appeal. The cadence of the King of all Kings was steady & strong. Isaiah prophesied that He would not fight, shout or even raise His voice in public.

The Pharisees, however, did their best to trip Him with sly questions. Jesus notices a man with a deformed hand on a Sabbath day. They ask if it is permissible for a man to do work on the Sabbath.

Their desire is for Jesus to say yes so they can bring charges against Him.

But Jesus knows…He knows the motive behind their question & rather than taking personal offense, He replies with a question that not only confounds them, but puts them to silence.

He asks: Would YOU save YOUR sheep if it fell in a well on the Sabbath?

Saving an animal was a Sabbath concession Jews permitted, so by reproving Jesus, they actually condemn themselves.

His question corrects His accusers but it also points to the sanctity of human life. He says, “Oh, how much MORE valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to DO GOOD on the Sabbath.”

He rebukes them by essentially saying, “if you’d do it for your animal, than do it for your people.” And did you catch the change in verb?

He answered their question about work by rephrasing it to “do good”.

That little phrase means, “to make a winsomely attractive path”. It is permissible to make a winsomely attractive path any day of the week!

I feel at a mental fork in the road as I type…we could address:

-How we treat animals vs how we treat people who are MUCH more valuable to our Father

-Does my approach with people create a winsomely attractive path that leads to The Way (Jesus)?

-The resistless appeal of our Savior-do my words & actions attract people to Jesus? Maybe they attract people to me instead 😬 or maybe they repel people altogether because there are times when I can be a brute!

I’ll let the Holy Spirit take you down the application path today. What is on my heart, however, is that I want to reflect the resistless appeal of my Redeemer!

Father, rather than shining a spotlight on self, may our lives reflect the winsome Light of Your Peace & Presence! #OneYearBible

January 17th One Year Bible Readings

GENESIS 35:1-36:43

MATTHEW 12:1-21

PSALM 15:1-5

PROVERBS 3:21-26