Good morning to you! 74 degrees. And today is the first day of Spring. I can almost smell the fertile, freshly tilled soil in my grandfather’s garden, looking at those delicate tomato plants just placed in the ground while thinking about the taste of a fresh tomato between two slices of fresh bread! Mm! Mm! It is the simple things in life that bring true happiness. May we never allow the complications of life to cause us to lose sight of what is truly important: our faith in God, our family, both physical and spiritual, and our friends.
In Jesus’ parable of the sower, the seed, and the soil in Matthew 13 He teaches us to hear His word, understand it, and put it into practice. The “wayside soil” is the person who will not listen to the word of God or does not understand the word. The “wicked one” snatches the word away before it can take root. Jesus speaks of the “stony places.” This person hears and receives the word of God with joy. But when tribulations or persecutions come in life, they stumble. Jesus then speaks about the person who hears and understands the word of God but allow the “cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches” to cause the word to be “choked.” Jesus also speaks of the person who hears God’s word, understands it, and does it. He allows the word of God to produce in his life the delicious fruit of the Holy Spirit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.
In Galatians 5:22-23 we can read about the “fruit of the Spirit” that is produced through our hearing, understanding, and obeying the word of God: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Take a look at yourself. Are you the soil by the wayside, hard and unyielding to God’s word? Open your heart to God’s word and yield to His will. Are you the soil with stony places in that you receive word of God with great joy, then when tribulations and persecutions come, you to stumble? Set your eyes on Jesus for the help you need. We all deal with the “cares of this world” and the “deceitfulness of riches.” Don’t become “unfruitful” because of these “thorns” of life. We can overcome by following Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 6:35-34. He tells us not to “be anxious” or worried about the cares of life, food, drink, and clothing. He knows our needs and will provide for us. In 1 Timothy 6:17 we are reminded that God has given us richly all things to enjoy and that we must not trust in these “uncertain riches” but in the living God. Read Matthew 6:33 and find the key to being fruitful. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
On Sunday we began a new sermon series “Building Against the Storms – Challenges We All Must Face.” Next Sunday (27th) we will look at the storms of life; rain, floods, and winds and find the answer to facing these challenges building on the sure foundation, Jesus. On Sunday evening we are asking ourselves if we are “Following the Footprints of Jesus.” Last Sunday we looked at Jesus’ love and compassion. This coming Sunday evening we will look at Jesus’ boldness and humility. Hope you can join us for worship, Christian fellowship, and faith building Bible study.
Continue to pray for our friends in Ukraine and Russia. May God bless us all. MB
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