How good are you at listening, especially for the word of God? God is always ready to speak to each of us and to give us understanding of his word. Jesus parable of the sower is aimed at the hearers of his word. There are different ways of accepting Gods word and they produce different kinds of fruit accordingly. There is the prejudiced hearer who has a shut mind. Such a person is unteachable and blind to the things of God. Then there is the shallow hearer who fails to think things out or think them through; such a person lacks spiritual depth. They may initially respond with an emotional fervor; but when it wears off their mind wanders to something else. Does Gods word for you go in one ear and out the other? Another type of hearer is the person who has many interests and cares, but who lacks the ability to hear and understand what is truly important. Such a person is for ever too busy to pray and to listen and reflect on Gods word because he or she allows other things to occupy their mind and heart. Whose voice or message gets the most attention from you - the voice of the world with its many distractions or the voice of God who wishes to speak his word of love and truth with you each and every day? A receptive heart and mind that listens attentively Jesus compares the third type of hearer with the good soil that is ready to receive the seed of his word so it can take root and grow, and produce good fruit. A receptive heart and open mind are always ready to hear what God wants to teach us through his word. The ears of their heart and the eyes of their mind search out the meaning of Gods word for them so that it may grow and produce good fruit in their lives. They hear with a listening ear and teachable spirit (Isaiah 50:4-5) that wants to learn and understand the intention of Gods word for them. They strive to tune out the noise and distractions of the world around them so they can give their attention to Gods word and find nourishment in it. They listen in order to understand. Gods word has power to change and transform each one of us if we receive it with trust (a believing heart) and allow it to take root in our inner being (the depths of our heart, mind, and soul). Gods word is our daily food to nourish and strengthen us on our journey of faith to his everlasting kingdom. Do you hunger for Gods word? Lord Jesus, faith in your word is the way to wisdom, and to ponder your divine plan is to grow in the truth. Open my eyes to your deeds, and my ears to the sound of your call, that I may understand your will for my life and live according to it. The following reflection is courtesy of PresentationMinistries (c) 2014. Their website is located at PresentationMinistries THE MIRACLE OF A HUNDREDFOLD But some fell on good soil, grew up, and yielded grain a hundredfold. Luke 8:8 The Lord promises we can receive His Word to bear fruit a hundredfold. This is like saying a thousand dollars will turn into one hundred thousand dollars, which is an astronomical increase. Most Christians believe Gods Word will help, bless, teach, and even heal them, but few expect the hundredfold harvest. If we took seriously the Lords promise of a hundredfold, we would: tremble in prayer as we open the Bible, kiss the Bible before opening it, pay double our Bible preachers and teachers (1 Tm 5:17), insist our pastors preach much longer, never miss our daily Bible reading, go to church more often than Sunday, daily read the Bible with our children and spouse, and encourage our children to seriously consider a life-time ministry of preaching or teaching Gods Word. When we expect the hundredfold harvest of the Word, our entire lives are transformed. We receive the Word not as the word of man but of God (1 Thes 2:13), humbly welcome it (Jas 1:21), and act on this word (Jas 1:22). Prayer: Lord, may Your Word burn in my heart (Lk 24:32). Promise: Just as we resemble the man from earth, so shall we bear the likeness of the Man from heaven. 1 Cor 15:49 Praise: The Korean Martyrs, some merely catechumens, give witness throughout the ages to the immeasurable scope of [Gods] power in us who believe (Eph 1:19). (Bear fruit a hundredfold by having a ministry of the Word. For encouragement, order our tapes on the Bible Teachers Series. Our six-tape audio series starts with AV 117-1. Our three-part video series starts with V-117.) Reflections for today! 09/20/14
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 13:08:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015