WATCHWORD:
5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” 9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,“‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ 11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. Luke 8:5-11,15
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Genesis 22:2
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12
Meditation:
A Farmer Went Out to Sow…
Recently I had dinner with a group of friends. As I walked to my car, I replayed a discussion we had during dinner and spoke aloud: “I should’ve said more. Maybe I should’ve said less”. At that moment, a strange thought came to mind: ”A farmer went out to sow…” I chuckled at that because I couldn’t figure out how that fit into the argument I was having with myself.
By the time I got home my thinking found a more comfortable place, in the middle of an unfinished story, one where I was trying to resolve a dilemma: …Nicole was just slipping through the camouflaged perimeter of the nest when she felt a sting on her back… Okay, now, does my heroine survive being shot or does she become a Spirit that influences other heroes? What is the right thing? Hmmm.
In the midst of developing that part of the storyline, that thought returned, “A farmer went out to sow…” Lord, what in the world? Okay, Lord, in that parable, you were talking about scattering seeds, help me understand, and I thought about our discussion at dinner. I remember two things I said as our conversation took on more “definition”; I quoted Steve Brown’s statement, “God is in charge and He loves us” and Jesus’ command to Love each other as I have loved you. I said both after there were expressions about the life choices others had made.
These were not new seeds. The Lord had planted these when each of us accepted Christ, we knew them well. So, what was the point? “A man had two sons and said to the first, go. I will not, but later he did.” A reminder about obeying the will of God? The right thing at that moment.
Okay, a reminder, Lord. But seeds were thrown, but it didn’t seem to have much of an effect. Oh, but it did lead to one excellent comment: “Love the sinner, hate the sin”. Well, maybe that is the point You wanted to make. Maybe that was the real seed you wanted sown. Thank you, Lord, for reminding us.
But, Lord, I’m still struggling. I think how Abraham was given an impossible task by You to “Take your son, your only son, whom you love…” and offer him as a sacrifice. And Your servant obeyed. And, of course, this turns out right but Abraham didn’t know it would at the time. Sometimes doing the right thing is hard…a choice.
Rarely does a day go by when I don’t watch Allen Jackson in the morning. Throughout March he preached on the theme Determined Faith, the focus being the need for us to drop back and follow the Lord more closely, be more obedient. He said too many churches and too many Christians are failing the Lord because they’re following a worldly influence.
Well, we may think that Abraham’s story was all about ancient times, but it applies to us, here and now. If we look closely at Psalm 18:25-26, it raises the question: ‘Does our character determine how we interpret God’s will?’ Let me say it a little differently, maybe more to the point; do worldly influences or our politics, red or blue makes no difference, shape our character, which, in turn, influences how we interpret God’s will? What do you think?
I think the answer to the question is “Yes”. I’m afraid that too often we shape God’s will to fit our comfort zone. Something important for us to pray about. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
I recall seeing a billboard while traveling last August in South Dakota. Simple and straight forward. It read: “Love others as I love you. I meant that. Signed, God.” Do you suppose He really means that? Think we should pay attention? I do.
Day by Day Prayer:
Day by day Oh, Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day
Amen.
