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| Four types of soil |
TO CHEW ON: " ' Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.' " Mark 4:3
Behold a movie called Jesus was shown at First Church. And many people of the town were gathered in the church gym. As the story of Jesus' birth, teachings, death, and resurrection played on the screen, the seed was scattered on the multitude of them sitting on folding chairs.
After the movie, Pastor Smith invited each to enter the Kingdom of God. He explained how this came to pass by trusting in Jesus' death as the penalty paid for the sins each had committed. He entreated all who would enter to declare it by coming to the front.
There was a woman there, Chantelle, who hardened her heart. She hearkened to the voice of unbelief which said unto her, "This is only a tale."
But Peter, Marissa, and Clyde with a host of others came. Indeed, the multitude was so great, there was not even room for them all to kneel on the carpeted area. Then the members of the prayer team gave each a Bible and sent them on their way.
So Peter, Marissa, Clyde and the others departed, rejoicing over the good news of the Kingdom. And each was eager to grow and bring forth the fruit of this new life.
Peter took his Bible and put it on his bedside table. But in the days that followed, he read it only once. For his friends Troy and Jason, when them came to visit and saw the Bible, made great sport of it.
Lo, they prevailed upon Peter to join them in their revelry as they went to the bar. That night when Peter returned home and saw the Bible, his conscience was pricked and he took it from the table and put it out of his sight under the bed. After many days when someone from First Church sent him a text message offering him a ride to Youth Group, he never replied.
Marissa too took the Bible home and put it next to her bed. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night she read in it. And the words thereof nurtured the life which had begun the night of the movie.
But on Thursday, wearied by her job, housework, and the demands of her kids, at the appointed hour she was too sleepy to take up the book and read. On the next day, even Friday, she got a babysitter and went with her friends to a movie, not returning home till midnight. "I will take up the book and reading in the morning," she said. But on Saturday at the twelfth hour she was still asleep while her children breakfasted on cereal and chips.
The rest of the weekend continued in like manner with shopping, cleaning, laundry, and TV. Lo on Sunday night, when the fullness of time had come for her to plan her next week, she had still not opened the book.
Behold the next week too was pressed down and overflowing with many things. So her Bible lay untouched. And it came to pass that a few weeks later, when she cleaned an abundance of clutter off her bedside table, she removed the Bible to the bookshelf.
Clyde also took his Bible home. Morning by morning he read in it. When it was again the first day of the week, he prevailed upon his friend Jeffrey to go with him to First Church. There he learned more about Jesus and the Kingdom of God, and his heart was glad and refreshed. "This is good news!" he said. "I cannot keep it to myself."
Immediately he rose and organized a home Bible study where he introduced 30 neighbours to Jesus. Lo at the appointed time he planned First Church's men's outreach where 60 came. Indeed, so zealous was he that by the time one year had passed, he had brought 100 into the Kingdom.
PRAYER: Dear God, I ask myself, is Your word bearing fruit in my life? And what kind of yield is it achieving? Help me to be more intentional about living a life rich in the fruit of the Kingdom of God. Amen.
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
