Say What You Feel - Vows of Love - Purity 589

Say What You Feel - Vows of Love  -  Purity 589

Purity 589 11/30/2021  Purity 589

Good morning

Today’s photo was of tourists traversing a natural bridge somewhere on the shores of the island of Aruba comes to us from a friend’s recent Thanksgiving week trip to that tropical paradise. But they objected to its use so it has been removed.    I replaced it with me bell ringing for the Salvation Army with a friend from 2 years ago, before I lost a bunch of weight. 

I share this impressive slab of rock under blue skies and that is stretching over water to remind us all that today in the last day of November and we are crossing a bridge into the month of Christmas and the final month of the year that is 2021.  

So if there is anything that you wanted to accomplish before the year is out, today is the day to make a plan and set a course to get ‘er done before the end of ’21!  

For many of us the focus will be on Christmas, of course.  We need to finish those Thanksgiving Day leftovers, seriously, and move on from November and get ready to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ by preparing our homes and our hearts for the holiday where we can openly express the joy that we have “in Christ”.  

Because I have been splitting my time between my fiancé’s place in cow country and my humble home “down by The River” affectionately known as “River House”, I am already behind the eight ball in my holiday preparations.  I normally have my Christmas Tree and nativity scene on display the day after Thanksgiving so I am playing catch up and vow to have my few Christmas decorations up by week’s end! I swear it!    

Tonight is out as we will be concluding the pre-marriage counseling sessions with my bride to be as we continue to draw closer together as we prepare to be married on New Year’s Day. 

So yeah, we have our marriage license, we are finishing our pre-marriage counseling, we have met with “the minister”, who has graciously offered to cater our wedding feast and who also just happens to be my future brother in law,  about the details of our ceremony, and we have had a Thanksgiving Day powwow with our wedding planner to figure out some details for the eventful day.   

Beyond all those plans, I have one huge responsibility ahead of me that needs to get done before December’s end: writing my marriage vows. My bride and I have agreed that our union shouldn’t have “cookie cutter vows” and that we will share our own thoughts and declarations about our love for one another and our promising ourselves to one another in matrimony.  

My future bride has reportedly composed four pages of material that will comprise her vows to me.   Four pages! So game on.  While I write 3-5 pages 6 days a week for the blog and podcast,  I am freaking out a little because the writing task at hand is no small matter and is very meaningful to me. 

Like my teenage son who would lament, and rebel over “forced” writing assignments from their high school English teachers, I am a little “triggered” at the expectation and the deadline.   But as I reminded my son, ad nauseum when he was in school, I can write whatever I want, and I am certainly “smart” enough to do this!   I just have to “say what I feel”.

So after the Christmas Tree and manger go up, I have to get serious about writing out the words that I will say just before TammyLyn, and I are declared man and wife.  So, no pressure! They just absolutely positively have to be done before January one! 

The task at hand is only difficult because it means so much to me.  How do you express all the reasons why you love someone or how thankful and happy you are that they are a part of your life?  

I haven’t done my vows yet, but I had a small taste of what this process will be like because I just composed an email to my pastor to thank him for all that he has taught me and provided my family with in the ten plus years that I have been under his church leadership.  

I have come to the realization that after the new year my faith journey will lead me into a new ministry opportunity with Freedom in Christ Ministries and to a “new church” as my bride and I have decided to worship together as a family at Starpoint Church.

So I made a point to let my pastor know about these latest developments in my personal and ministerial life but wanted to also express the immense gratitude for all that I received in the past from him and the church community at Rock Solid. 

It was a hard letter to write, and I can only hope that my words adequately convey how thankful I am for my pastor’s leadership and friendship.  I won’t be completely gone from the Rock Solid scene but my visits there will be certainly less frequent than they have been as I will be going to Starpoint for Sunday services, and I am discontinuing my Thursday night discipleship classes at Rock Solid to serve the Lord in a new way, as an online course facilitator for Freedom in Christ Ministries.

So as we all cross that bridge into Christmas, into the New Year beyond, and through all the changes that will happen from here to there, let’s endeavor to do two things:

·       Let’s let the people in our lives know how much they mean to us by telling them.

·       Let’s remember that Christmas is about our relationship with Jesus Christ and the joy we have knowing we have been set free from sin and death.  We can have peace on earth because we have peace with God through our faith in Jesus Christ. So tell the Lord that love Him too.

If these two reminders seem wise, its because they echo Christ’s commandments to

Matthew 22:39 (NKJV)
³⁹  … love your neighbor as yourself.'

And to

Matthew 22:37 (NKJV)
³⁷  … love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

It’s the last day of November, so plan out what you want to do before Christmas and before New Years Day but when you plot your course try to remember to make some plans not to just “do things” or “go places”. Try to make plans to express the love you have for God and for the people He has put in your life.   

Today’s Bible verse is drawn from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.  

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Isaiah 40:8 (NLT2)
⁸  The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.”

 

Today’s verse reminds us of the paradox of the impermanent nature of existence and the eternal nature of God.   

The “grass wither and the flowers fade” teaches us that things die.  The harsh reality of the impermanent nature of our lives here on earth and the created universe is difficult to know on an experiential level.  One of the most meaningful moments in our education is the moment when we realize that we too will die one day.  It’s a truth that should freak us out.  Atheistic and cold hard scientific  reasoning tells us that we will cease to exist, The end.  

They either don’t consider the spiritual realm of the unseen or conclude that it doesn’t exist and that talk of an eternal kingdom of God is mythic and created to assuage feelings of fear or the abject depravity that might result from the natural conclusion that life is meaningless.  If God doesn’t exist and we all just fade to black, life is hopeless as all of man’s works and memories will eventually be erased when the universe dies.   

But Today’s verse tells us that God’s word is eternal.  This verse and the rest of scripture point to God, the Creator who is over, above, and beyond time and space itself.  Unlike some false religions that speak of “beginningless time”, the Bible tells us that God, who is self-existent, created our universe when He spoke it into being and declared it to be good.  

Our own mortality should upset us because we are not self-existent. Our natural progression leads to a physical death and a separation of our spirits/souls into a spiritual realm where God will determine our destiny. 

Our loving Creator sent Jesus to reconcile us to Him and those that place their faith in Christ are spared God’s wrath and welcomed into His royal family. 

Those who reject Christ, reject God, and are promised an eternal existence described as darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, a just end to the created beings that dishonor the One who gave them life. They will gnash their teeth in agony after essentially biting the hand that made them.   

So the natural world and how it falls apart should inspire to seek the Lord to resolve the question of what will happen to us when we die.  If we seek the Lord, we will find Him and come into relationship with Him through faith in Christ to be saved from His wrath.

When that happens we become truly alive as The Holy Spirit indwells us and His “eternal word” assures us of our salvation and new life.  

So let people know that there is hope in Christ. While the grass withers and the flowers fade, God made a way for us through His eternal word, the living word, Jesus Christ.  And when us infinite beings surrender to Christ as Lord and Savior, we are given a relationship with God that has infinite possibilities.    So keep walking and talking with God and  share and experience the good news of life eternal through Christ every day.   

 

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s “Evil and Suffering… Why? Is God Fair?

 

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and to support her work.

F. How God Uses Suffering in Our Lives

How can a good God have a purpose for evil and pain? Sometimes a change in perspective makes all the difference in your opinion about evil. Most people would say that it is morally reprehensible to stick a knife into someone. However, we let doctors do it all the time! Just as a doctor has a healing purpose to the hurt that he causes, God has a purpose for allowing pain.

This reassuring truth is well illustrated in the life of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers and carted off to Egypt, where he was eventually unjustly jailed. After many years of being incarcerated, Joseph's interpretation of a troubling dream for Pharaoh led to his becoming prime minister of Egypt.

Ultimately, he saved the lives of the Israelites, but only because God put him in a leadership position in a strange country under circumstances far from his own choosing. Joseph's attitude toward his suffering is revealed in the statement he made to his brothers years later ...

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20)

God uses suffering in your life:

• To expose your sin...
• —Suffering can keep you from going astray.
      "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word." (Psalm 119:67)
• —Suffering can produce positive repentance in you.
      "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." (2 Corinthians 7:10)
• —Suffering can cause you to reject sin and live in the will of God.
      "Since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God." (1 Peter 4:1-2)
• To build your character...
• —Suffering can teach you contentment even when you are in need.
      "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:12)
• —Suffering can develop perseverance to make you emotionally mature and morally complete.
      "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)
• —Suffering can produce endurance, which is a catalyst to refine your character.
      "We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4).
• To produce much good...
• —Suffering can be used by God for your good.
      "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28).
• —Suffering can give you empathy toward others in their suffering.
      "There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it" (1 Corinthians 12:25-26).
• —Suffering can produce compassion to equip you to comfort others.
      "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
• To change your perspective...
• —Suffering can reveal Jesus, who is living within you.
      "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body" (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).
• —Suffering can cause you to achieve greater eternal glory.
      "We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Corinthians 4:16-17).
• —Suffering can create in you a hungering for heaven.
      "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:4).
• To bless your future...
• —Suffering can secure the blessing of God.
      "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10).
• —Suffering can prove your faith is genuine.
      "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:6-7).
• —Suffering can result in being blessed with the crown of life.
      "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him" (James 1:12).

Question: "Does God care about my suffering?"

Answer: God cares deeply about your suffering as demonstrated by the fact that...

• He is close to you when you are brokenhearted.
      The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).
• He stays around you in the midst of trouble.
      "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them" (Psalm 34:7).
• He keeps a record of your grief and keeps hold of your tears.
      "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?" (Psalm 56:8 ESV).

Biblical Counseling Keys: Evil and Suffering... Why?: Why God? Why?.

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

 

Join our “Victory over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

 

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Centers for Death Control Latest Recommendations - Cyber Monday Special - Purity 588

Centers for Death Control Latest Recommendations - Cyber Monday Special - Purity 588

Purity 588 11/29/2021 Purity 588 Podcast

Good morning

Today’s photo of an early morning view of what we suspect to be Lake Keowee near Seneca, SC comes to us from a friend’s Thanksgiving Weekend visit to a sibling who calls the Palmetto state home.  Although siblings sometimes have rivalries and some may try to assume the role of a pseudo parent or role model, our friend’s photos gave no evidence of any relational difficulties or either party trying to assume control over the other. 

Today is Cyber Monday and the issue of control is at the forefront of my thoughts this morning as I saw that one of the deals that was featured yesterday for Cyber Monday was for the Amazon Smart Soap Dispenser that has a 20 second timer and works with Alexa. It is being sold for $37.99, and that’s down from $54.99!  For a soap dispenser. 

Now it wasn’t the cost that necessarily drew my attention or shocked me. The distribution of wealth is unbalanced and there will always be a call to price somewhat simple items at higher prices to make the rich feel they are getting a luxury item or the “top of the line” in soap dispensers.  

What shocked me was the tie-in to the current culture of fear and man’s desire to control their environment.   

If anyone has any doubt of our now being in a “dystopian” society, you should notice the measures of control that are subtly or not so subtly being instituted into our lives.  Vaccine and mask mandates are the soup du jour and the insistence of “making hand washing count” as this soap dispenser’s marketing materials advertises is the next level of control that will eventually be instituted by those who would choose to legislate away any possible cause of death.    

The soap dispenser’s 20 second time is based on the CDC’s recommendations of how long you should wash your hands and even though this soap dispenser is considered a “smart” soap dispenser it assumes that you are smart enough to follow the CDC’s guidelines but apparently not smart enough to count to 20.   

The soap dispenser’s “smart” features also indicate that your attention span is extremely limited because it assumes that you require that Alexa entertain you with music or jokes while you wash.     

And of course, Amazon, apparently assumes that you are either too dull or too terrified to consider that nearly $40 may be an exorbitant coast for a hand washing accessory.  

While I had a chuckle at first over the absurdity of this latest sign of the times, I realized that it really wasn’t funny.  We have entered into a new age where our society could choose a path to try to eliminate all disease at the costs of our personal freedom.  

I then realized that the CDC was an oxymoron.  Think about it? Disease control? That’s like Jumbo Shrimp.  If we could really control disease, would there be disease? I don’t think so. 

And what’s so bad about disease anyway? If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger right?  

Oh that’s it? We don’t want to die. Right, because most of us have no assurance of what lies on the other side of death and thus we must prevent that at all costs! 

We are one missed hand washing session away from being thrown into an uncertain eternity!

Because of our precarious situation we should not only buy automated soap dispensers we should expand the CDC’s recommendations to include everything that could cause us to die!   We need to rename that fine organization the Centers for Death Control!    

Otherwise, we might have to take the recommendations from some other Higher Power!   

There is a Higher Power that claims to have made a way beyond death itself and some claim that this Higher Power is in control of the course of history, being the Creator and Sustainer of all things.   This Higher Power is even said to be the agent that calls His created beings into eternity.   The implications of the existence of this Higher Power are that our efforts at controlling our environments and when we get sick, and die may be ultimately meaningless as this Higher Power could call us into eternity at any moment.

This Higher Power, of course, is God.  And any measure of safety or peace that we can get from washing our hands or “doing everything right” pales in comparison to the peace that comes from being in a relationship with Him. 

We don’t know when we will die. I have an acquaintance whose wife took great strides in the last few years to get healthy by exercising and changing her eating habits. She lost a significant amount of weight and by all appearances was in the best health of her life.  I am not sure what her hand washing habits were, but it appeared that she agreed with the CDC’s recommendations regarding COVID-19. She was an advocate for her community and helped a great number of people in various ways.   She recently died quite suddenly and unexpectantly from an unseen and unpreventable medical issue. Her best efforts to prolong and protect her life, proved not to matter.

Don’t get me wrong, I completely condone taking strides to improve our physical and mental health.  But our spiritual health is ultimately the most important thing.  

I don’t know this women’s spiritual destiny but cringed that I saw a social media post from her that proclaimed, “Sundays are for coffee and watching movies.”   The Lord knows her heart and always does what’s right.   

However, the Lord sent Jesus Christ to save us.  Our good works for the community and being nice to our family and friends don’t reconcile us to the Lord.  The word indicates that it is through faith in Christ alone that we receive eternal life and the great commission states that we are to go into the world and make disciples of all nations.   

Is someone saved by Christ if they never mention His name?

One of the scariest verses in the Bible indicates that some will claim faith in Christ only to be told that He never knew them.   When we live a life that gives no evidence of a relationship with Jesus, can we have assurance that we are going where He is when we die?

A true understanding of a Sovereign God and the gospel of Jesus Christ will result in faith in Jesus and the assurance of life forever more. 

While life is precious and we should take steps to protect and prolong it, we should also be just as diligent to meet its purpose: to know God and to make Him known.  

So instead of purchasing the latest gadget that can help you live another day on earth, seek the Lord, find and name Jesus Christ as your Lord Savior and Savior, and have the assurance that you will live with Him forever.   

It is the season of Christmas. Jesus is the reason for the season.  So be bold in letting everyone know that when you say “I believe” it’s not in some jolly old elf that gives out presents once a year.  Let them know that you believe in the Son of God, and God the Son, who came to earth to die for your sins and to bring you into His eternal kingdom.  

Don’t be afraid of some disease and develop the habits of an obsessive compulsive when you can instead place your faith in Christ and live a life of peace where you can know that no matter when you are called into eternity you will be safe in His presence forever.

Today’s Bible verse is drawn from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.  

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Psalm 46:1 (NLT2)  God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

 

Today’s verse reminds us that God is our protector and the source of our strength.  

Oh brother, I have walked through some times of trouble since coming to faith in Jesus Christ and have had episodes in my faith walk where I was faced with uncertain circumstances where I was brought to the pit of despair and honestly didn’t know how I was supposed to go on. 

But God, 

Yeah, things were bleak. I didn’t have any answers of how or when I would get out of those times of trouble but because of my relationship with God that was established when I put my faith in Jesus Christ I received the strength to carry on. 

In those times of trouble I was connected to God through my spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and worship.  So even though  things seemed utterly hopeless, I had hope.  Even when I was in a restless position circumstantially, I had peace.  

When you come before God and humble yourself, He will lift you up.  No matter how bad things got at times because of my faith I had a reason to keep going. 

And as I kept walking with God, I received His guidance and was amazed how things that were crafted by others to work against me were turned around and worked in my favor.   

The word is true. God is our refuge and strength and always ready to help us in times of trouble.    So trust the Lord. Seek His presence, His wisdom, and His ways continually because He will never leave you or forsake you and when those times of trouble come you will be amazed at the help you receive when you are walking with Him.  

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s “Evil and Suffering… Why? Is God Fair?

 

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and to support her work.

E. How to Answer the Skeptic Who Asks ... "Can God Do Anything?"

If a skeptic asks a Bible-believer, "Can God do anything?" the predictable answer is "Yes." And the biblical basis for this response is in numerous Scriptures, such as Jeremiah 32:27 ... "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Someone could say, "If that's true, then God could eliminate all evil and suffering now!"

If you fail to qualify your own answer, you could fall prey to a number of trick questions. For this reason you need to know how to avoid becoming flustered by learning how to give accurate, wise answers based on biblical truth ...

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:6)

• Can God create a rock so heavy that He cannot lift it?
  However you answer this yes or no question, you know you are wrong.
• —If you answer, "No, He cannot make a rock that He cannot lift," you have just denied His omnipotence.
• —If you answer, "Yes, He can make a rock that He cannot lift," again, you have just denied His omnipotence. So, how do you answer this question? Simply state, "God has the power to do anything that is consistent with His divine character. Likewise, God cannot do anything that is counter to His divine character." The Bible actually lists certain actions that are impossible for God, such as...
• God cannot lie.
      "It is impossible for God to lie." (Hebrews 6:18)
• God cannot be tempted.
      "God cannot be tempted by evil." (James 1:13)
• God cannot cease to exist.
      "In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end." (Psalm 102:25-27)
• Can God make a one-sided triangle?
• —If you answer "No," a skeptic could ask this follow-up question:
• "Does that mean God is not all-powerful?"

Before you answer a question, first evaluate whether the question is logical or not. Simply state,

• "This question is illogical because by definition a triangle must be three-sided."
• "This simply means God can do anything consistent with His divine character—anything that is logically possible."

"Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes." (Proverbs 26:4-5)

Biblical Counseling Keys - Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys: Evil and Suffering... Why?: Why God? Why?.

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

 

Join our “Victory over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

 

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

 

Bible Study with the Cincotti's - Seed Time and Harvest Time! - 11/28/2021

 Today's Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti. 11/28/2021

Listen to our Bible Study Discussion at: Seed Time and Harvest Time Podcast

Seed Time and Harvest Time!

 

Read Mat. 13:24-30

         In Mat. ch. 13, Jesus is teaching and ministering in one of the  unspecified towns around the sea of Galilee. In this setting He tells a series of parables using agricultural metaphors.

         The parable of the, “Wheat and the Tares” gives a global perspective, covering a span from the beginning of time to the “end of the age”. This parable is easily interpreted because Jesus actually gives the interpretation in Mat. 13:37-42

Note: “tares” can also be translated “darnel” or “false grain”

A couple of bullet points are:

•      It makes an interesting case for predestination.

•      It makes an interesting case that not all are “children of God”

•      It makes and interesting case for not confronting evil with violence.

We are not going to dwell on these!

 

I will note that some interpreters apply this parable to the church, but since church discipline is addressed in Mat. 18:15-17, and elsewhere in the Epistles, it’s widely rejected.

 

Read Is. 5:1-7

         In this prophecy there is a similar agricultural theme, yet here there is no mixed crop. The lens is narrowed to the children, or Nation of Israel. The consequences are harsh, yet not final as with the Mat. 13:24 parable.

 

Read Mat. 13:3-9 and the interpretation 18-23

         In this the lens is narrowed to the individual human heart. We see a variety of agricultural images as metaphors that we painfully recognize in people we love, and even, perhaps, in ourselves at times. The litmus test of “good ground” is, “a crop” and “fruit”.

What is the point of comparing and considering these three Scriptures in tandem?

 

         I’m glad you asked. I was wonder too!

 

         Our hearts, and lives are liken to a field; I Cor. 3:9, “you are God’s field”.

         We receive influence, or seed, from many sources, some good, and some bad. Our lives are a mixed field of wheat and tares. We express this by saying, “I am a work in progress”. Even the Apostle Paul declared this in Phil. 3:12, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”

 

         If then,  (or since) we have received grace/salvation, by placing our faith exclusively in Jesus Christ, and His atoning work on the cross, then, even at our worst, we have a covenant with God, as did Israel in Is. 5. For even Paul writes, six hundred years later, “has God cast away His people (Israel)? Certainly not!” Rom. 11:1

 

So, what of Mat. 13:3, “The Parable of the Sower”?

         The condition of our hearts is the issue at hand.

Has God given you a new heart? Eze. 36:26

         One that is pliable and receptive to the Word of God.

Is that new heart being feed on the Word of God. Ps. 119:105

         Or, garbage in, garbage in.

Are you able to discern good from evil. Heb. 5:14

         “discerning of spirits” is a gift of the Holy Spirit. I Cor. 12:10

 

         Unlike the parable of the wheat and tares, we, as individuals must tend to the condition of our field. Cultivate good soil. Give God permission to break up fallow ground. Displace the tares with good seed. We must pluck up tares by “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” II Cor. 10:5. Ask God to, “Create in me a clean heart” Ps. 51:10 “Study to show ourselves approved” II Tim. 2:15. “Let your light so shine before men…” Mat. 5:16.  We are not home yet!