Monday, February 6, 2012

The Parable of the Seeds

    Today's Reading:
  • Matthew 12:46 - 13:23
  • Psalm 17:1-15
Read Bible Passages Online


Matthew 12:46 - 13:23
All who do the will of the Lord are brothers, sisters and mothers of Jesus Christ (12:48-50).  That is just awe inspiring to me.  Sure, we all call each other brothers and sisters in Christ, but I guess I didn't take it as far as meaning that we are brothers and sisters of Christ himself.

Jesus then tells us a parable about seeds (13:3-9).  Where a seed lands after being scattered determines what will happen when it grows.  We don't even have to try to decipher the meaning of the parable ourselves, for Jesus explains the entire parable in 13:18-23. 

So the question is, what kind of seed am I?  I am sure I'm not the one that fell on fertile soil and multiplied to be 30, 60, 100 times as great as planted.  I love the Lord, I believe wholeheartedly in the Lord, I try to do right be the Lord, but so many areas of my life are lacking.  One of those biggest areas is knowledge and the spreading of the knowledge. 

Not knowledge of what other people teach me, for I've had plenty of that, but the knowledge that is truest to myself.  That is the knowledge that I ascertain by reading through the bible myself so that I can understand what my religion means to me, what God is telling ME.  Not my mother, not my father, not my pastor, or my grandfather -- but ME.  All those people are wonderful and they have exceptional understanding of what the bible is saying to them and to others.  But now I need to know what the Word is saying to me.  And when I know what the Word is saying to me, I will know how to share with others what God means to me and what God could mean to them. 

I will read first hand all of the stories and parables and events that I have only ever heard about from others.  I will know where to find these things in the bible.  I will learn so many things, things that no one else but the Lord would have been able to teach or get through to me.  It is so wonderful that you can read the whole bible over and over and over and over again and still learn new things the next time that you read it.  No, I am not currently the seed on fertile soil because I am trying to learn how to share my faith so that my crop will be fruitful.  But that doesn't mean it's a lost cause, either, for one can always replant a crop.  I am certainly sowing my field in preparation.

Psalm 17:1-15
Psalm is such an interesting book of the bible.  I never really realized its true purpose before beginning to read it.  An entire book of the bible that consists of people baring all their thoughts, emotions, angers and fears to the Lord.  There is great power in these prayers.  I am interested to see how the individual psalms change from person to person over the span of time.

Conclusion
It has been a very productive read for me today.  I think the parable of the seed truly affected me.  I want to be the fruitful seed, and I pray that the Lord works through me so that I might become so.

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