It’s a psalm kind of day!
Come, let us worship and bow down.
….Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
….for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
….the flock under his care. Psalm 95:6-7 (NLT)
Luke 8:4-15 (<<click to read the passage)
We love clematises! They are beautiful and some people’s get really big, covering trellises. We have tried planting them in a couple of areas of our lot and they just won’t grow! They put forth a little foliage but don’t bloom and eventually even the foliage dies off. We have tried several pieces of advice on how to care for them but to no avail.
I think our biggest problem is the soil which underlays our lot. We have a couple of inches of topsoil but underneath the topsoil is clay! And one thing clay is bad about it not letting water escape – it just lays there! I checked out a website with advice on how to get clematis to thrive and one thing they stressed was, “clematis does not appreciate having its feet in standing water.” Truly, soil makes all the difference!
And in regard to Jesus’ parable from the passage, we started with yesterday, “soil” makes all the difference in the receptivity of the Good News of the Gospel. If the “seed” does not land in good soil it will not do well.
My study Bible* has a wonderful paragraph along this line of thought.
“Footpath” people, like many of the religious leaders, refuse to believe God’s message. “Rocky soil” people like many in the crowds who followed Jesus, believe his message but never get around to doing anything about it. “Thorn patch” people overcome by worries and the lure of materialism, leave no room in their lives for God. “Good soil” people, in contrast to all the other groups, follow Jesus no matter what the cost. Which type of soil are you?”
Lord Jesus, may we be receptive to Your word for our lives. And as we take up the responsibility to sow the seed of Your word to the world around us may we be diligent and not lose heart. You are constantly working on clearing off the overgrown acres of our lives, hauling off the stones, mowing down the thorns. Soil that is hard as rock can be broken up by Your love and compassion. May we never give up on sowing the seed. Amen.
*New Living Translation Life Application Study Bible
Mar11th, 2020, Wed, 12:32 pm
