The Wednesday Word 12.29.2021

 

Luke 8:4-8

4 One day Jesus told a story in the form of a parable to a large crowd that had gathered from many towns to hear him: 5 “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it. 6 Other seed fell among rocks. It began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted!” When he had said this, he called out, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

So this story should give us pause. Have you ever thought about what kind of soil you may be? Is your heart so hardened by the trials of this world that the messages God is trying to send you bounce off, with meanings unheard and opportunities missed? The possibilities that lie in store could get trampled and be gobbled up by our busy lives. Maybe you feel a little tug of the Holy Spirit on your coat sleeve, but you just don’t have the time to set aside for God stuff. You can only deal with so much before you run out of steam. Maybe you tell yourself you are going to start reading your Bible or set aside a few moments to pray, but life just keeps handing you one thing after another to demand your attention.

At any given time in our lives, we all fit into these categories. Sometimes we are stony, or trampled or choked with thorns. The good news is that there is someone waiting, with patience and mercy I cannot comprehend, to help us to become like that fertile soil. There is someone who has all the nutrients and tender care that every soul craves. That someone is the gentle Christ Child we have been celebrating. Don’t ever stop believing that there is something greater than we can imagine awaiting you.

Resolve to plow forward. Dig deep into your heart. Jesus is waiting for you….something to pray about.

Don’t forget to look for the Lord today. Vicki H.

                                                                                            photo by Simon Godfrey on Unsplash
                                                                                

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Wednesday Word 8.17.2022

Image
  Titus 2:11-14 New Living Translation 11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. The Upper Room “New Every Morning” free devotional appears in my email box every day. I highly recommend subscribing (look for it at www.upperroom.org). There’s always a snippet from a meaningful book, then Scriptures and additional material for those who desire a deeper dive. The Holy Spirit has a way of dropping things in your lap when you least expect it. Our late friend, Judy Walker, called these “pearls.” This w...
Read more

The Wednesday Word 5.04.2022

  Psalms 51:1-2, 10-13 1 Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. 
 Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 2 Wash me clean from my guilt. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. 
     Renew a loyal spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from your presence, 
     and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, 
     and make me willing to obey you. 13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels, 
     and they will return to you.   This passage raises an interesting perspective. “…Make me willing to obey you.” King David, the author, doesn’t promise to obey. He asks for forgiveness, mercy, and grace not because he has changed his ways or even claims to have tried. David asks for another chance with a clean slate. He doesn’t claim to have had a renewed sense of loyalty or faithfulness to ...
Read more

Wednesday Word 9.08.2021

Image
  1 Samuel 8:10-18 10 So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. 12 Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. 13 The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. 14 He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. 16 He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. 17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be...
Read more