Now I am beginning to realize that faith is a mystery...
One day I found my bible in my computer bag at work and I openned it ....there it was, the parable of the sower... and as I read it ( I do not usually read my bible at work...) it seemed that Jesus was answering the questions that I had carried in me...
Those frustrating questions like... how la can I ever explain this to that man who asked me that question about why I believe Jesus is the Son of God.
As I read the parable..my eyes fell on the image of the birds taking away the seed...the seed of faith...I saw that the bird was Satan, who would intervene when we sow seeds of faith,...intervene and take it away...
Now how shall I handle this... of course it is tempting to say...plant and let the Holy Spirit water... and if it is Gods will it will grow. If not... well,...at least I tried.
But now I feel, there must be a better answer..
The seeds are being sown in the wrong way...
What should I do to sow seeds in a way that will make it fall on "fertile ground" as the parable depicts...
I am thinking that the ground is not fertile because it has been hardened by doctrines that are clearly designed by Satan to confuse.
Oh my! You may be saying. Why is she blaming Satan for everything...
Mm... well I have started to see Satan as a clever strategist who has layed the foundations of confusion and built up on man's weakness: his intellect. Yeap!
We are too smart to have faith.
So ironic.
I wana put the parable of the sower here for you to ponder on.
Perhaps you can see more answers in this parable and share them here...
LUKE 8:4-15: And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience..
2 years ago
The parable also referred to as in Matthew 7:21: Not everyone who says to me,'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
ReplyDeleteMatthew 7:24-27: Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
(26) But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
Thank you for your comment...thats a beautiful parable...
ReplyDeleteWhen Jesus tells a parable, He presents before us a reality. He tells us there are different kinds of hearts (i.e. grounds) on which the Word (seed) is sown. This knowledge helps in different ways:
ReplyDelete(1) This gives us wisdom so we know the condition of people's heart when we want to sow. We can check to see if there is receptiveness when we sow.
(2) Knowing heart conditions also help us to sow effectively. E.g. if there is hard ground, there needs to be some breaking first. So pray for God to bring about brokenness and humility to prepare that kind of ground for sowing. If there are thorns and briars, we need to ask God to help the person to see how these thorns (the cares of life, the pursuit of riches, busyness, etc) are crowding out the Word sown into his heart. This heart is not hard, so he can be helped to see that the thorns are snuffing out the things of God in his life.
(3) The Holy Spirit and the Word working together is powerful. Jesus' parable gives us the knowledge and wisdom; the Holy Spirit helps us to discern the condition of man's heart.
Faith is a mystery and also a gift. It's therefore important that we pray for it when doubts seem to cloud our judgment. Remember these words: Lord I believe, help my unbelief
ReplyDeleteHi Prof Higgins. great Blog u have. how did you do all the special effects?
ReplyDeleteYou have pu it so beautifully SOS BELOVED
ReplyDeleteThat Sunday on May 17th, I woke up an hour before church and opened my bible and landed on the exact verse that you have.
ReplyDeleteThe sower about the seed landing on hard rock really spoke to me as I realized I was once this, and alot of my friends are still at this.
Knowing that it is a hard rock, when it recieved seed it was happy as when some people are grateful knowing Christ early in their life - either born in a christian family or was saved in their teenage years.
However, as happy as they are during those times but as time goes on and the seed is not rooted properly into the word of the Lord, they fall easily and die easily when satan throws tempatation at it.
That day I showed this verse to a friend while sitting in church asking her which seed she was. She said she wasnt one of them, clearly.. the word was stolen from her as well.
This is where I understood when it says though they may read the word they do not understand it, this is because the word that was with God, that is God was stolen from them.
It made a realize so many things in life and the heart of my eyes continue to stay open and learn of Gods perfect ways and how his words are credible in every sense.