Word Seed

One of the great gifts that my parents gave to me is the familiarity with Scripture that was created by my regular attendance at Sunday School and church, along with the reading of the Word in our home. My brain is full of passages from the Bible, stories of the Old Testament heroes and Jesus, and teaching about the Christian life from the letters of Paul. I understand and interpret the events of life and the world around me through the filter of the Word. Don't get me wrong. I still have questions. I despise the simplistic mindset reflected by the old line, "God said it! I believe it! That settles it!"

Life is very complex. Truth is not simple, answers are not always easy to find. Finding the way to bring the eternal wisdom of God to bear on the challenges of life is often an act of faith and requires discipline of mind and spirit. Then, too, I know that my heart is given to rebellion and seasons come when it presses hard to throw off His reins and run head-long after its own way! More than a few times in my adult life my way has been a long dark walk of faith not sight. In those times I cling desperately to what I believe God has said despite situations that seem to make His Word a lie.

Yet, I am comforted, corrected, and guided by the wisdom of the Word, which the Spirit brings to my consciousness again and again. Jesus says that it is like seed planted in in us! He told us this teaching story. "What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams." (Matthew 13:3-9, The Message) His friends came to Him later on and asked Him, "Why do you tell these stories? What does a story about a farmer planting seeds have to do with us?"

And He explained, "Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.

"The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

"The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.

"The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams." (Matthew 13:18-23, The Message)

Will you open your heart and mind to the Word Seed?
Don't argue with God's wisdom because 'it just doesn't make sense.'
Don't hold Him at arm's length while you dispute His correction.
Don't refuse His comfort as you demand that He explain Himself.
Instead, give yourself to diligent study. Thank Him for the promises and the boundaries; the correction and the comfort. God is never offended by our honest questions, but we certainly sin when we allow our questions to become a root of bitterness or an excuse for rebellion. Be like Jeremiah who exclaimed: "When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty." (Jeremiah 15:16, NIV)

Here's some Word Seed. Ask the Spirit to plant this prayerful passage deep in your mind and heart today. "With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word." (Psalm 119:10-16, NKJV)
______________________________

I've had many tears and sorrows.
I've had questions for tomorrow.
There've been times I didn't know right from wrong.
But in every situation,
God gave blessed consolation
That my trials only come
To make me strong.

Through it all, through it all,
Oh, I've learned to trust in Jesus;
I've learned to trust in God.
Through it all, through it all,
I've learned to depend upon His Word.

I thank God for the mountains
And I thank Him for the valleys;
I thank Him for the storms
He brought me through.
For if I'd never had a problem,
I wouldn't know that He could solve them;
I'd never know what faith in God could do.

Through It All
Andrae Crouch © 1971 Manna Music, Inc. ARR UBP of Manna Music, Inc. (35255 Brooten Road, Pacific City, OR 97135)CCLI License No. 810055