Technology Word-snatch

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 3-4; Psalm 96

TO CHEW ON: "The sower sows the word. And there are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts" - Mark 4:14-15


Jesus' parable describes the ancient practice of sowing but the modern process of snatching. On reading Jesus' explanation of the Sower Parable, something inside me says, the things He's describing—the sown word immediately taken away, the no-root, the preoccupation with the cares of this world, riches and other things—is very familiar. It is how I often feel especially since the coming of the Internet, email, Facebook blogging, twitter, and the smart phone. Something is always vying for my attention—and it isn't usually the Word!

Tim Challies writes about technology and a Christian's response to it in The Next Story. He says:

"Here is one of the greatest dangers we face as Christians: With the ever-present distractions in our lives, we are quickly becoming a people of shallow thoughts and shallow thoughts will lead to shallow living. There is a simple and inevitable progression at work here:

Distraction —> Shallow Thinking —> Shallow Living

All of this distraction is reshaping us in two dangerous ways. First we are tempted to forsake quality for quantity, believing the lie that virtue comes through speed, productivity and efficiency ... Second, as this happens, we lose our ability to engage in deeper ways of thinking—concentrated, focused thought requires time and cannot be rushed" - Tim Challies, The Next Story, Kindle Location 2037.

Isn't that what Jesus is talking about here—letting God's words, thoughts and principles land, penetrate, germinate, sprout, grow, and produce fruit in our lives? We do that as we think deeply and at length about what the Bible says, relating its teachings to our ways of being and acting.

Though our outward ways of relating Jesus' teachings and the Bible to our lives may be different from how people would have done it in the first century, our motivations and trip-ups are so similar. God's word snatched away, shallowly rooted, and choked is something of which we need to be vigilant more than ever!


PRAYER: Dear God, this ancient warning about distracted living is modern. Help me to discipline myself to turn off my devices and listen to You and let Your words preoccupy me. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 96


The Bible Project VIDEO: Mark (Gospel Series)



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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.

The biggest pay check you'll ever get

Servant hiding his talent - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 25-25; Psalm 93

TO CHEW ON: " ' For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.' " Matthew 25:29

After a career which included many stages (hospital clerk, medical records clerk, school teacher, visiting homemaker, medical transcriptionist, stay-at-home mom) it was this parable that spoke to me about pursuing my lifelong interest in writing.

Note how the word for the unit of money used in the NKJV ("talent") is the same word we use to describe "a particular and uncommon aptitude for some special work or ability; a faculty or gift" (Funk and Wagnalls Dictionary). Thus the connection between stewarding what we have—money and abilities—is impossible to miss.

Some things that jump out at me from this story:
1. Both of the servants who invested their talents received the same commendation even though their returns were different (Matthew 25:21,23).

2. The master's commendation doesn't lead to a holiday but to more responsibility: "… you have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things" - (Matthew 25:21,23).

3. This work of faithful stewardship is the doorway to joy: "Enter into the joy of your lord" are the master's final words to them (Matthew 25:21,23).

4. The servant who received one talent seems to have had an underlying critical attitude. He justified his non-action by suggesting that the master was cruel and unpredictable (Matthew 25:24).

5. He also confessed to fear—so great it paralyzed him and he hid the talent away so he could return it, uninvested, to the master (Matthew 25:25).

We can apply things from this story to our lives.

Like the master in the parable gave different amounts of money to different servants, God gives us different talents, abilities, and resources. Let's not become jealous and bitter because we have only one talent while the person beside us has five, or boastful because it's the other way around. Paul addresses this issue with the Corinthians when he says:

"For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" - 1 Corinthians 4:7.

God doesn't expect a five-talent return from a two-talent person. Let's steward the money and abilities we do have and not denigrate our increase by comparing it to someone else's.

Let's conquer fear. We can always find reasons—multiple reasons—why our talent investment efforts will fail. But these fear-whispers are not from God. When He puts a talent in our hands and gives us the investment idea, we can go forward with the assurance that:

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" - Philippians 4:13.

When our faithfulness leads to more and larger responsibilities, let's not shrink back into retirement or laziness but embrace the new load with the knowledge that using our gifts to serve the master is the doorway to joy. It is the key to receiving what I believe will be the biggest pay check we could ever get—God's "Well done, good and faithful servant."

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You that in Your wisdom You give us differing abilities and opportunities. Help me today to steward well what You have entrusted to me. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 93

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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.

What vine are you attached to?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ezekiel 16-18; Psalm 35

TO CHEW ON: "Say, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Will it thrive?
Will he not pull pull up its roots
Cut off its fruit
And leave it to wither?
All of its leaves will wither,
And no great power or many people
Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots…" ' " Ezekiel 17:10


In this riddle / parable, the vine refers to Zedekiah with whom King Nebuchadnezzar replaces the legitimate King of Judah, Jehoiachin (who he carries away into exile  - Ezekiel 17:4).

Supported by Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon, Zedekiah becomes a healthy vine, though humble ("…vine of low stature" - Ezekiel  17:6).

Then another king comes along "…another great eagle with large feathers…"—Egypt (Ezekiel 17:15). So the vine shifts its allegiance bowing to the new power, perhaps hoping to placate any Egyptian attempts to overrun and overpower Judah. But it doesn't work out so well. The new power plunders the vine, then neglects it so that when the "east wind" (interpreted as Nebuchadnezzar and his army) comes along it "utterly withers."

The prophetic meaning of this parable aside, it is also a picture to me of what a difference one's vine-source makes.

Here Zedekiah (the vine) looks to Babylon and then Egypt to sustain his power. His kingdom does well as long as Babylon is benevolent. But Egypt is another story. When he tries to curry favor with the new power, disaster.

I ask, from where does the vine we're attached to, I'm attached to, get its life?  Am I, at the most basic level, depending on God, attached to Jesus, so that when circumstances change in my life, the sap of my supply keeps flowing anyway?

Or am I looking to other things to sustain me—things like my health, my savings, the political peace of my country, the well-being of my family? If the "east wind" blew in my life, when it blows, will  I still be vigorous and fruit-bearing, or withered and easily uprooted?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me to be securely attached to You, so that no circumstance will interrupt Your flow of life in me. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 35

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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.

What kind of a steward are you?

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 25:14-30

TO CHEW ON: “‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.’” Matthew 25:14


We might be excused if, at the beginning of this story, we thought the owner had given his possessions to his servants. However, when we read the whole thing, we realize that the relationship with those possessions (here “talents”—a unit of money), was not one of ownership at all but management. Another word for that is “stewardship.”

[Stewardship: The position and duties of a steward—a person who acts as the surrogate of another or others, especially by managing property, financial affairs, an estate etc. - from Dictionary.com.]

Stewardship comes up in other places in the Bible as well. Biblical stewardship is:

• Tailored to the individual.

In our story, the owner gave his servants different amounts of money to manage dependent on each one’s ability - Matthew 25:15.

• Not ownership.

The stewarding aspect of our story’s handout comes out more clearly in the Luke version of this same parable - Luke 19:13.

• Judged by faithfulness.

It’s the main characteristic of a steward: "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful" - 1 Corinthians 4:2.

• A sacred trust that impacts all of life.

Paul instructed Timothy on what it meant to be a steward in practical living: "O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge"  - 1 Timothy 6:20.

• What God expects us to do with our spiritual gifts.

"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" 1 Peter 4:10.

• Important because our salvation came at a high price.
  "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s" - 1 Corinthians 6:20.

• Important because we have a divine Master - Ephesians 6:7.

"...with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free" Ephesians 6:7,8.

So we might ask, what has God asked us to steward?

The answer will be slightly different for each one of us but will include things like the Gospel—the good news that we sinful humans can be reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus—our spiritual gifts, our material possessions, our network of family, friends, and colleagues, modern technology with its potential for fast and widespread communication, and the list could go on.

We have much to steward. Are we aware of our positions as stewards? Are we looking forward to the day we hear His “Well done, good and faithful servant?” Or will we be caught unaware at our Master’s return, embarrassed, ashamed, and casting about for excuses of why we haven't been good stewards?

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to be aware of all You have entrusted to me, and to steward it well. May I keep the hope of Your “Well done,” always in mind. 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.

Wedding clothes

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 22:1-14

TO CHEW ON: " 'But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man who there who did not have on a wedding garment.' "  Matthew 22:11.

Like so many of Jesus' parables, this one is full of eternal truth goodies. In a way it's like the gospel in 12 verses. Here's how I understand it:

The King's son's arranged marriage is God's relationship with His chosen people Israel.

The king's servants are the prophets who invited Israel's citizens over and over to join the wedding celebration, i.e. live in obedience to God's laws and with a right heart attitude.

The people who were invited in the story treated the king's invitation as casually as Israel did the prophets' repeated calls to repentance and revival. Just as the people in the story ended up killing the king's messengers, so too Israel mocked, tortured, and even murdered some of its prophets.

The people of the highways and " all who they found both bad and good" are the individuals from all over the earth who are not Jews—us Gentiles from "all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues" (Revelation 7:9)—who now have an invitation to God's party.

It was a free invitation for the people in the parable, but apparently a special wedding garment was given to each guest before entry into the banquet hall. What is  the meaning of that garment?

• Paul talks about our earthly bodies clothed in life—the clothes of immortality—life forever (2 Corinthians 5:3).

• He also talks about putting on the new man—clothes of "true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:24).

• The clothes of the "new man" are not only for after this life but for now. They come in styles of "…tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another…" (Colossians 3:10,12).

• In Revelation John sees these clothes as white and with this outfit comes a new name (Revelation 3:4).

• This garment needs to be worn at all times so the guests are prepared when the master drops in (Revelation 16:15).

• God's subjects will wear this outfit in heaven, the "fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." And guess what the heavenly occasion is? The Marriage Supper of the Lamb, coming full-circle, right back to our parable (Revelation 19:8,9)!

The sobering ending to Jesus' story—the guest with no wedding garment being "cast into outdoor darkness" —tells us that God's invitation has one simple condition: the need to exchange our rags (Isaiah 64:6) for the garment of salvation that God gives: "For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness" - Isaiah 61:10. It too is free to us. But we must put it on.

PRAYER: Dear God, I thank you for an invitation to Your party, and the clothes of salvation that You provide. 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.

A kingdom where nationality means nothing

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 21:33-46

TO CHEW ON: " 'Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.' " Matthew 21:43

In this parable, Jesus hearkens back to the Vineyard Song of Isaiah (Isaiah 5:1-7). I can just see the chief priests and elders—Jesus' audience—hanging on every word, growing more outraged with every unfairness of those wicked vinedressers. They are so into it, when Jesus asks," '…when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to these vinedressers?' " they jump right in with " 'He will destroy those wicked men miserably and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.' " Matthew 21:40,41.

Snap! Caught in the trap of Jesus' illustration, they utter their own fate. For now Jesus makes it clear: " ' The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.' "

He is saying their birth advantage as Jews has been squandered by rejecting Him as the cornerstone of God's plan to save all people. Now that privilege will be given to another "nation"

"…a term signifying a new people (Jew and Gentile) who will render to God the appropriate fruit" - J. Lyle Story, commentary on Matthew, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1330.

Paul reiterates this when he confronts the envious Jews in Antioch: " ' It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, beheld, we turn to the Gentiles' " Acts 13:46.

There is a warning for us in this. We may be a part of a believing family as far back as we can see on the family tree. But that legacy doesn't guarantee us citizenship in the "nation" of believers any more than being Jewish guaranteed it for the people of Jesus' day. Only one thing does: a personal decision to put our faith in Jesus for salvation.

"For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name." - John 1:12

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for including all nations in the Kingdom of God. Help me to do my part to spread the word that all are welcome in it. 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.

Labor negotiations

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 20:1-16

TO CHEW ON: " ' Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?' " Matthew 20:15

Jesus, master storyteller that He was, created the problem in His parable by structuring it the way He did. The all-day workers would probably not have argued about their pay if they'd been paid first. But, alas, they were paid last after they saw the latecomers get the same amount they had agreed to work for. And so they expected more.

The takeaway from this story comes in the last two verses, where the landowner addresses his discontented servants. He makes several points.

- His money is his to do with as he likes. If we take the landowner to be God, we can see this is an affirmation of His sovereignty. He is sovereign over Earth and what happens on it.

- His generosity (goodness) with his late-coming workers brings out the envy/outrage (evil) in his all-day servants: " ' Is your eye evil because I am good?' "

- The "laws" of the kingdom of heaven (those principles by which it operates) are different than the kingdom of this world: " ' So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.' "

Several points rise out of this for our own self-examination:

• God's sovereignty is great when we understand it. But like these discontented servants, it's easy to question what He's doing when we don't. We grapple with things as small as perceived unfairnesses to the old question: "Why do bad things happen to good people?" This brings us to our own interchanges with God like Job's:

GOD: " 'Would you indeed annul My judgment? 
Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?' " - Job 40:8.
JOB: “ 'I know that You can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know' " - Job 42:2-3 (emphasis added).

• God's goodness underlies everything He does. When we get that stained deep into the grain of our belief, we'll find fewer occasions to gripe. The fact that we can even expect a reward at all is grace. "The parable affirms that God is absolutely sovereign and gracious in granting rewards. Those who serve Him can trust His grace" - J. Lyle Story, commentary on Matthew, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 1327.

• The kingdom of heaven never ceases to surprise. Let's continue to explore its "laws of gravity" and live according to them, even as we continue to walk this earth.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for Your sovereignty and goodness.  Help me to learn and apply these principles of Your kingdom as I continue to live and work on Earth.

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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.

Offending wisdom

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 13:47-58

TO CHEW ON: "When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, 'Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?'" Matthew 13:54

The kingdom of heaven parables poured out of Jesus. In today's reading, we read the last of a series recorded in Matthew 13. In it, Jesus compared the kingdom to a mixed catch of fish (Matthew 13:47-50).

We take from it the message that the church's responsibility is to spread the gospel wherever it can, even to those who appear unlikely to accept it, for it attracts people of all kinds. And like the parable of the wheat and tares, here the 'fish'  who survive a sorting by the angels at the end of the age will be preserved while the wicked will be cast into a place that sounds a lot like hell - Matthew 13:50.

"Where did this Man get this wisdom?" the people in Jesus' home town inquired. Even though they may not have been referring to His kingdom of heaven speech specifically (He had in the meantime traveled to the place where he grew up - Nazareth), His teaching was invariably wise, thought-provoking, stimulating, and controversial.

Unfortunately even though townspeople called Jesus' teaching wise, they were offended by it (Matthew 13:57). It's the same reaction Jesus' teaching receives today (e.g. the ongoing controversy within Christianity about the existence and meaning of hell).

Two applications come to mind:

1. I wish I had a tiny iota of Jesus' wisdom, don't you? We are reminded of Peter and John and the reaction to their teaching: "Now when they (rulers, elders, scribes etc.) saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus" - Acts 4:13 (emphasis added). Is the secret to wisdom spending time with Jesus?

2. We need to be mindful of our own reaction to Jesus' teaching. Our generation has a tendency to select what it will believe and live by. A popular emphasis today is Jesus' message about caring for the poor, while we gloss over His message of judgment. Are we personally guilty of letting society's preferences dictate which of Jesus' words we take seriously and which we don't because they offend?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for the record of Your wisdom in the Bible. Help me to assimilate it into my life. I want my mind, life and speech to be changed by time spent with You. Amen.

MORE: What is wisdom?

Charles Spurgeon writes:

"Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom."

J. I. Packer writes:

"Wisdom is the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it. Wisdom is, in fact, the practical side of moral goodness. As such, it is found in its fulness only in God. He alone is naturally and entirely and invariable wise."

John Piper writes:

"Wisdom is the practical knowledge of how to attain that happiness. Therefore, wisdom is hearing and doing the Word of God."

For further reflection, see John Piper's 1981 sermon titled "Get Wisdom."

(From the website DesiringGod.org)

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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.

The puzzle of the Kingdom of Heaven

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 13:33-46


TO CHEW ON: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven...The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field..." Matthew 13:33,

Jesus' stories were both fascinating and puzzling for His followers over 2000 years ago and to a large degree they are still that way. Many of his parables concern the kingdom of heaven (also called the kingdom of God). This subject for the Jews in Jesus' time would have been especially captivating, considering their domination by the Romans and hope that Messiah would set up an earthly kingdom to throw off that domination.

Jesus never intended to do that. That much is clear from the many times He stated that His kingdom was not of this world. And so for us these many years later, we still puzzle over the precise meaning of the kingdom of heaven. Is it a time, a place, a state?

The parables in today's reading are a bit like puzzle piece in the picture of what that kingdom will look like.

1. Permeating everywhere (Matthew 13:33):
Like yeast grows silently yet surely, eventually permeating a whole lump of dough, so the kingdom of heaven does its work of penetrating evil and transforming lives wherever we find it.


2. Pure, though now mixed (Matthew 13:37-43):
In the story the wheat and tares (non-wheat) existed together. Jesus explained that the wheat was the sons of the kingdom, the tares were the sons of the wicked one. That tells us that there is an aspect of the kingdom that is present (Jesus Himself, the "Son of Man" is the good seed sower, and those who accept His teachings He calls "sons of the kingdom" - Matthew 13:38).

The parable implies that it's not our job as individuals or as the church to determine who is wheat (who is saved — a son of the kingdom) and who is not. That's the job for the angels (Matthew 13:39,41). "Premature separation in the present age is out of the question and becomes more destructive than purifying," says J. Lyle Story in my Bible''s study notes (New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1315).

3. Decisions about the kingdom in this life have eternal consequences (Matthew 13:40-43):
Jesus talks about the "'end of the age'" when angels will  separate those who grew into kingdom grain and those who didn't, will "'... gather out of His kingdom all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness" and cast them into a place of torment.'"

4. Hidden (Matthew 13:44-46):
Jesus likened the kingdom to hidden treasure and one valuable pearl. I imagine this pearl sitting in a box with other pearls. Though it looked a lot like the others, its greater value was obvious to the pearl merchant who knew what to look for. In other words, this pearl was hiding in plain sight. That's the kingdom too, its value apparent to those who look for the right thing.

4. Precious (Matthew 13:44-46):
Jesus likened the kingdom to a "treasure" and a "pearl of great price" worth giving up every earthly possession for.

These little pictures of the kingdom of heaven serve to heighten our expectation. They also help us live realistically on earth as we:

• Refrain from making pronouncements and judgments on who is saved and who isn't.

• Refuse to get discouraged at the apparent insignificance of the kingdom and how it seems not to be flourishing in many places.

• Understand the kingdom of heaven's penetrating and permeating power wherever it is, growing silently and secretly. 

• Realize our decisions on earth (for or against what Jesus taught) have eternal implications.

• Value the kingdom's worth--greater than any earthly treasure or wealth.

PRAYER: Dear God help me to get the big picture of kingdom of heaven realities. May I not grow discouraged but live like a kingdom daughter as long as I am on earth, doing my bit to help it spread and grow. Amen

MORE: "Hear the Call of the Kingdom" - Keith and Kristyn Getty

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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.

Soil that receives

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 13:18-32

TO CHEW ON: "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.'" Matthew 13:23

I remember as a little girl, there were some preachers I liked a lot more than others simply because they told stories. Actually as a big girl I don't feel that differently. I'm sure Jesus with His repertoire of parables would have been a great favourite.

The parable of the sower and the seed is one of eight major parables which Jesus told. He not only told the story but took the time to explain it in all its intriguing allegorical detail. Thus it's easy to get caught up in the story's fine points. But it's also important not to miss the big point, which a footnote in my Bible has boiled down nicely: "Its central message is that the gospel of the kingdom will meet with varying levels of success in the human heart" - J. Lyle Story, commentary on Matthew,  New Spirit-filled Life Bible, p. 1314.

And don't we all want it to meet with that 100-fold success in our own hearts! A large measure of that success is due to how receptive the soil of our life and heart is — as the parable illustrates.

Here are some aspects and results of spiritual receptivity gathered from Scripture.

• It involves attentive listening - Nehemiah 8:3; Proverbs 4:20.

• It requires response - Proverbs 15:32.

• A change of direction may be needed (repentance) - Jeremiah 12:16.

• The most complete receptivity involves the commitment and abandonment we demonstrate when we eat food (faith) - Ezekiel 2:8; Ezekiel 3:2.

• It may look different in different people. Or perhaps we could say, it involves steps or stages. Martha showed her receptivity to Jesus by opening her home to Him and preparing a meal. Mary sat at His feet listening. While Martha's receptivity was good, Jesus called Mary's listening the one "needed" thing  - Luke 10:38-41.

• It involves obedient action. In Acts the believers who received the gospel were baptized - Acts 2:41.

• It may require study and analysis. We compare what others teach with the Bible to ensure we're doing the things that line up with God's Word - Acts 17:11.

• It produces results in us personally (1 Thessalonians 2:13) and spiritual productivity in our lives (Matthew 13:23 our focus verse today).

I ask myself, am I receptive to the good news of the kingdom? Do I hear it and respond to it (with repentance if necessary)? Do I commit to it in faith? Am I obedient to its ordinances? Do I study what people say about it, checking those teachings with the Bible to make sure I'm not being led astray? Are my heart and life being changed? Am I bearing fruit (both inwardly exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit and outwardly the fruit of other lives coming to Jesus and being strengthened in Him through my influence)?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for the picture of seed and soil in this parable. Please help me to be alert to bad soil conditions in my life, and to improve my heart soil's receptiveness to You and the truths about Your Kingdom. Amen.

MORE: Soil Types

Though it's too late to analyze your garden soil for better results this year, it's never too late to gather information about how you might improve it in the future. Here's an interesting article called "Soil Types and Testing" which names the various elements in soil, and describes a simple test you can do to analyze your own garden soil. (It's fun to imagine what comparisons Jesus would have made, what lessons He would have taught with such information!)

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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.

Kingdom secrets

The Sower - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 13:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "The disciples came to him and asked, 'Why do you speak to the people in parables?' He replied, 'Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.' " Matthew 13:10,11 NIV

We all love to be in-the-know. Here Jesus told His disciples, you are.

Though the parables appear to be simple stories which Jesus' listeners loved because they were so homey and relatable to life, they also hold deeper truths than what  appears to the eye / ear. "…secrets of the kingdom of heaven" Jesus called them.

[Secret = musterion  from mueo "to initiate into the mysteries" hence a secret known only to the initiated, something hidden, requiring special revelation. In the NT the word denotes something that people could never know by their own understanding and that demands a revelation from God. The secret thoughts, plans and dispensations of God remain hidden from unregenerate mankind, but are revealed to all believers" - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Live Bible, NIV - Kindle Location 232,200.*]

Though Jesus told His disciples the knowledge of the kingdom had been given to them, they still needed Jesus' explanation, His "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means" (Matthew 13:18). As we read Jesus' interpretation of the sower story (the verses that follow today's reading) we see what kind of metaphor this was and how Jesus intended his listeners and us readers to interpret it from a literary standpoint.

But there is another level of understanding possible, beyond literary interpretation and to which Jesus referred when He said to the disciples: "… the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them" (Matthew 13:11).

What distinguished the you from the them? It was that the you—the disciples—believed in Him. They were open to the truths He taught and willing to line up their lives with them. The them, the crowds, the Pharisees and religious leaders didn't believe. Some were downright hostile.

Jesus goes on to describe these believers as those who had (knowledge, insight, obedience) and so would be given more whereas those who didn't have would lose even the little understanding they already possessed (Matthew 13:12).

Jesus' truths are revealed:

• to little children - Matthew 11:25.
• by God in heaven - Matthew 16:17.
• to those enabled by the Father - John 6:65.
• by His Spirit - 1 Corinthians 2:10,14.
• "to the Lord's people" - Colossians 1:26, 27.
• through "an anointing from the Holy One" - 1 John 2:20, 27.

As we study the Bible and read it's parables and stories, let's not lose sight of the supernatural help necessary to really get them. That help leads to understanding that comes not only from our heads, but also involves our hearts.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to be the kind of listener that has, and will be given an abundance. Amen.


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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission (*Kindle version). All rights reserved worldwide.

What are you doing with your mina?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 19:11-27

TO CHEW ON: "'For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.'" Luke 19:26


In this favourite story of mine Jesus tells of a hated king who, before he leaves on a journey to establish another kingdom, gathers ten servants and entrusts to each a mina (50 shekels, worth about three months' wages). While he is on his business, the servants are on theirs. What they have done with their mina becomes clear when the king returns.

The first has invested his wisely and has ten minas to show for his work. The master rewards him with responsibility for ten cities.

The second has also worked hard and seen an increase of five minas. He gets responsibility for five cities.

A third servant has only the original mina to return to the king.

The monarch is furious. He scolds the servant for his inaction, takes the amount from him and gives it to the servant who made ten. When those watching object: "But he already has ten minas," the king replies: "'Risk your life and get more than you dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag'" - Luke 19:26 (Message).

Here are some things that I believe this story teaches in the area of stewarding what we have been given of natural abilities and opportunities:

1. Fear can easily get in the way of wise stewardship—fear of making a fool of oneself, fear of hard work, fear of doing it wrong, fear of failure.

2. What we say reveals what's in our thoughts and can become prophetic of our destiny ("'Out of your own mouth I will judge you'" - Luke 19:22).

3. Success and good results don't lead to time off but to more responsibility. I love how writer Mike Duran expressed this idea, in terms of the work of writing, on literary agent Rachelle Gardner's blog:

“How does God reward the person who has been faithful with their talent? He does not relieve them of their duties and send them on an all-expenses paid holiday. Instead, He gives them more responsibilities.

So you’ve signed your first book contract. Amen and hallelujah. Most likely, receiving that contract is validation that you’ve done something right, you’ve been “faithful” with your talent. This is worth celebrating. But this is only one stop in a long journey. Next up – more responsibility, more demands, more deadlines, more pressure, more items to juggle, and more things you will be held accountable for” - Mike Duran (read all of "After the Contract… or Is That Another Mountain?").

This Luke 19 passage was instrumental in launching and keeping me in the business of writing. But I believe it is applicable to whatever one's talent and opportunity.

What is your mina? How are you investing it?


PRAYER: Dear Jesus help me to use the abilities and seize the opportunities you give me to advance Your kingdom. I want You to be proud of me when You return. Amen. 

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New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Persistent pray-ers

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 18:1-8

TO CHEW ON: "'Nevertheless when the Son of Man comes will He really find faith on the earth?'" Luke 18:8 NKJV

"'However, when the Son of man comes will He find (persistence in) the faith on the earth?'" Luke 18:8 AMP


This little story Jesus tells teaches us, using contrast, a bit about God and our prayers.

God's counterpart in this parable is a rogue judge who doesn't respect God or people. A woman keeps pestering him about getting justice for her situation until, in exasperation, he gives in, judging in her favor not because of the injustice but to get a little peace and quiet for himself.

Jesus' point: If this self-centred judge does the right thing (even if for the wrong reason), how much more will God, who is just and perfect, do the right thing for those who cry out to Him?

But:

• It may not happen fast enough for us. There seem to be two perceptions of time here. "'Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf?'" Jesus poses this question and answers, "'I tell you, He will defend and protect and answer them speedily'" - Luke 18:7-9 AMP. But to the pray-er who continues to "'cry out day and night'" it seems to be taking a long time.

• God values our persistence. Jesus again: "'However, when the son of man comes will He find (persistence in) the faith on earth?'" (Luke 18:8 AMP). The question implies that that's what He is looking for.

"George Mueller prayed fifty-two years for an unsaved loved one, but it wasn't until some time after he died that his loved one came to know Jesus Christ as Saviour. I believe our prayers go right on living and working even after we die" - Hope Macdonald.

"According to Jesus, by far the most important thing about praying is to keep at it" - Frederick Buechner.

"Many a man asks in April a gift of divine fruit that will be ripe only in June" - Anonymous.

(All quotes taken from Prayer Powerpoints, p. 166.)

PRAYER: Dear God, may I be an answer to Your search for persistent pray-ers. Amen. 

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New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Reversal

Image: Pixabay

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 16:19-31

TO CHEW ON: " 'But Abraham said, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented." ' " Luke 16:25

The story Jesus tells of the rich man and Lazarus speaks to a range of topics, like treatment of the poor, the after-life state, and human skepticism. It also illustrates another Bible theme: Reversal.

My Thompson Chain Bible has a list of verses that show reversal—defined as "Changes in position because of God's intervention."

• From as far back as Old Testament prayers and psalms, Bible writers express the belief that God has the ability to generally turn things around: "He puts down one, / And exalts another" - Psalm 75:7.

• God can reverse the fortunes of rulers. This is illustrated in the story of Nebuchadnezzar where, shortly after Nebuchadnezzar congratulates himself on his position and power, he is afflicted (by God's hand) with mental illness - Daniel 4:28-33 (see also Psalm 107:41; Isaiah 40:23; Ezekiel 21:26).

• God can also reverse the fortunes of cities - Isaiah 26:5.

• Jesus spoke often of the reversal characteristic of the Kingdom of God:  " 'But many who are first will be last, and the last first' " Matthew 19:30.  (See also Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30).

• Referring to kingdom in specifics, Jesus skewed our idea of fairness in the story of the workmen, where the one-hour-workers got paid as much as the all-day-workers - Matthew 20:16.

• Another kingdom reversal comes in the area of stewardship, where Jesus said: " 'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away' " Matthew 25:29.

• And in our passage we see the after-life reversal of the one who was poor, sick and despised during his life on earth - Luke 16:25.

Does this mean we should impoverish ourselves and make our lives difficult in order to have a better heavenly destiny? Hardly. The writer of my Bible's notes offers these thoughts:

"Wealth does not automatically condemn one to hell, nor does poverty in this life guarantee eternal joy. One's destiny depends upon one's relationship to God, which is often reflected in the attitude toward material possessions" - J. Lyle Story, Study notes on Luke, New Spirit-Filled Bible, p. 1422.

• Practically, this story and our look at reversal remind us to distrust what we see. 
• We are challenged to understand there is more to the circumstances and conditions of people than what we see (and refrain from judging). 
• And we can ask ourselves are there ideas, beliefs, and convictions within us that will someday cause us to awaken to a surprising reversal? 

PRAYER: Dear Father, I know You see past my surface into my soul and spirit. Help me to see myself as You see me. And when I pray for the world, help me to keep in mind how capable You are of reversing things. 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.

Don't be a no-show

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 14:15-35

TO CHEW ON: "'But they all, with one accord, began to make excuses…'" Luke 14:18

Have you ever made a meal for guests who never showed up? I have. I can understand the strong feelings of the man in Jesus' parable.

Apparently the custom at that time was to invite guests beforehand and then send notice that the meal was ready. So we can surmise that all these no-shows had previously said "Yes" to the host's invitation. But now that the meal was ready, it was inconvenient for each to come. One by one they gave their trivial excuses about why they wouldn't be there.

Of course the point of Jesus' parable wasn't to comment on social rudeness but to teach a spiritual lesson. My Bible commenter explains:

"Israel had accepted God's invitation to the kingdom given through the prophets. The arrival of Jesus signals the arrival of the kingdom, but in its rejection of Him, the nation is declining God's offer of grace. However, God's purpose will not be thwarted, so He will send His gracious invitation to the Gentiles" - J. Lyle Story, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1417.

Paul writes about this inclusion of the Gentiles in Romans 9-11. He quotes Hosea as proof that the Gentiles are in on God's invitation:

"'I will call them My people who were not My people
and her beloved who was not beloved …
There they shall be called sons of the living God - Romans 9:25,26, quoting Hosea 2:3 & 1:10.

And he later makes this sweeping statement:

"For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" - Romans 10:13 quoting Joel 2:32.

So the invitation to God's salvation banquet is meant for all of us. In His parable Jesus makes a point of naming who will be invited to replace those excuse-makers: the rejects of the city—the poor, maimed, lame and blind—and when there is still more room, those non-citizens from the "highways and hedges," the Gentiles.

Jesus' invitation to come to Him is still open to all. If you haven't accepted it, do it today and be one of those who fill up His house, not one of whom the host says: "'None of those … shall taste my supper.'"


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this invitation to Your banquet of grace. May all of us find ourselves at that heavenly celebration. Amen. 


MORE: Bible Feasts:

• Wisdom's feast: Proverbs 9:2.

• God's international feast - Isaiah 25:6.

• Jesus' parable feasts - Matthew 22:4; Luke 14:16 (our reading).

• Jesus' last supper with His disciples - Mark 14:22.

• Marriage Supper of the Lamb - Revelation 19:9.

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Unfruitful, or fruitful?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 5:1-7


TO CHEW ON: "He dug it up and cleared out its stones,

And planted it with the choicest vine.

He built a tower in its midst,

And also made a winepress in it;

So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,

But it brought forth wild grapes." - Isaiah 5:2

The disappointment in Isaiah's voice as he tells this parable is impossible to miss. The plea in the voice of the vineyard's owner (God) as He addresses the people directly sounds like someone at wit's end:

"What more could have been done to my vineyard
That I have not done in it?"

Of course we know Isaiah is not talking about a literal vineyard but about the nation of Israel (Isaiah 5:7) and her moral failures. The "good grapes" God is hoping for are a people of holiness. Instead, he gets "wild grapes"—a people characterized by injustice and unrighteousness.

Unfruitfulness is a sobering Bible theme.

• Jesus identifies two of its causes as worldliness (Matthew 13:22) and a failure to invest life's resources (Luke 19:20).

• It results in the Master's disappointment (Luke 13:6), judgment (Matthew 3:10), and rejection (Hebrews 6:8).

I ask, what kind of vineyard song would God sing over us? Over me? Let's take John 15:1-8 as our vineyard prayer and challenge to fruitfulness:

"Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me .... If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be My disciples (John 15:4, 7-8).

PRAYER: Dear God, like literal vines, I have only a season—a short lifespan—to bear fruit. I don't want to be a disappointment to You. Help me to abide in You and bear much fruit. Amen.

MORE: What fruit?

"What is fruit-bearing? What is the fruit you are called to bear—indeed must bear? I think fruit in this chapter (John 15:1-16) is a broad term and embraces two things: love for people and the conversion of sinners. If you bear fruit, you love people and win people to Christ" - John Piper (from "I Choose You to Bear Fruit"  © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org).

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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.

Showing mercy

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 10:11-37

TO CHEW ON: "'So which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among thieves?'

And he said, 'He who showed mercy on him.'

Then Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise'" Luke 10:36-37

The practical working out of what we say we believe is never as straightforward as it looks or sounds. When the lawyer answered his own question to Jesus, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life," he probably rattled off his reply like a memorized response in catechism class: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself."

Jesus' story of the good Samaritan in response to the young man's question, "Who is my neighbour?" illustrates how much harder it is to actually live out loving one's neighbour than to just quote the answer. When the Samaritan responded to the poor beat-up man it took over his day with a busyness and inconvenience he had not counted on. He could have come up with so many good reasons not to get involved:

It's not my duty.
The victim may not have been a fellow-Samaritan, in fact, probably wasn't. In other circumstances the now helpless traveler would likely have snubbed the Samaritan.

It's not safe.
The man had just been robbed and beaten up. Who knew if the bandits weren't hiding behind the hill or in the bushes for someone just like him to come by and help.

I don't have time.
But he took time to stop, bind the man's wounds and help him onto his mount. Then, probably slowed down considerably, they made their way to the next town.

I don't have the money.
For the Samaritan, that seems to have been no objection. He was generous in making sure the man's needs were cared for.

Jesus' telling of this story illustrates the gulf between knowing the right thing to do and actually doing it. None of us will live the exact scenario Jesus described in this story. But, given life's ups and downs, one of these days we'll meet a 'neighbour' who needs mercy. I ask myself, will I, will you, have the wisdom to know what mercy looks like in the situation? And will we have the character and courage to act in mercy? Or will we take the easy way out, illustrating by our excuses that we really know very little about loving God with my heart, soul, strength and mind?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me translate the love I say I have for You into practical demonstrations of mercy to those I meet who need it. Amen.

MORE: Keith Green sings "On the Road to Jericho"

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.

Our terrible freedom

Departure of the Prodigal Son - A. Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 15:11-32

TO CHEW ON: " 'Father, give me…' The younger son journeyed to a far country … 'I will arise and go to my father…' But he was angry and would not go in…" Luke 15:12,13,18, 28.


In her book Prodigals and Those Who Love Them, Ruth Bell Graham relates the following:

"Dad, I'm not at all sure I can follow you any longer in your simple Christian faith," stated the clergyman's son when he returned from the university for the holidays with a fledgling scholar's assured arrogance.

The father's black eyes skewered his young son, who was "lost," as C.S. Lewis put it, "in the invincible ignorance of his intellect."

"Son, the father said, "that is your freedom. Your terrible freedom."

- Told at our supper table by a friend - p. xvii

Our reading today, Jesus' Prodigal Son story, is full of evidences of "terrible freedom" by the many choices made in it:

• The younger son chose to ask for his inheritance early.
• The father chose to give it (to both sons - Luke 15:12).
• The younger son chose to leave home, spend his inheritance on pleasure, then get a job in a piggery.
• From there he chose to come home.
• When he came home, he chose to come with a humble, "I was wrong," attitude.
• The father chose to keep an open heart toward his son.
• He chose to meet him with open arms and throw a party to celebrate his return.
• The older brother chose to stay home.
• He chose to be dutiful and helpful.
• He chose to be bitter about his father's happiness and the party Dad was throwing on his younger brother's return.
• He chose not to attend the party.

And that's where we leave him—still outside the party…another prodigal, really, in his own home.

No matter what our personality or what our life circumstances, we have choices. Choices about what our relationship with the Father will be, how we'll handle our resources, and what sort of attitude we'll have toward others. Let's let this story be a call to examine the multitude of our everyday choices and consider where they may be taking us.


PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to make wise choices at each fork in the road, so I don't end up in a place I had never planned to be. 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.

Beloved Son

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 12:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "'Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them at last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'"  Mark 12:6


It's hard not to feel a pang when we read this story.

The phrase "beloved son" snags my attention. Who of us who have children can't relate to the word beloved describing our offspring? We make great sacrifices to ensure their well-being. We go great distances to help them when they're in trouble. We do everything in our power to defend them and fight for them. When they're sick or in trouble we hurt for them...

God, who knew the whole story, knew that when He would send Jesus, this story would have a middle chapter of unbelievable agony and then death for His beloved Son, summed up in Mark 12:7-8:

"But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours.'

So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.'"

But God also knew that tough middle was worth the glorious end:

"But God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through might be saved'" John 3:16-17.

As we meditate on the incarnation and all it signifies, let's not forget to thank God for sending and then sacrificing His beloved Son for you and me!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus, Your beloved Son, with the purpose of having Him die in my stead. Help me to never take this lightly. 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.

The Seed—a modern parable

Four types of soil

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 4:1-20

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.