the Sower and the Seed
Luke 8:5-15 The Parable of the Sower and the Seed
5."A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, " 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand. 11. "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.15. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Our Sunday morning class (The Valley of Vision: Praying Purposefully & Artfully) partook in a writing exercise this week. It was a classroom experiment which involved no special preparation. We were simply instructed to read the portion of scripture which was given to us, re-write it in our own words as a prayer, and pass the page along to the next person. In turn, each member of the class composed a short response to the passage we were given. Nine different passages of scripture were handed around. Nine befuddled people, none of whom thought they were up to the task, were given one whole minute to scribble a short prayer. In the end, nine amazingly heartfelt prayers were crafted and read aloud to the class. We were astounded and humbled to know that God was at work in our seemingly feeble efforts.
I share this prayer, which was patterned after the Parable of the Sower and the Seed, with the confidence that you will be blessed!
Let me not reject Your spirit working through common familiar things, but rather may I have eyes to see You & Your heart in all things. God, please do not let Your seeds wither- but let me stay moist soil. Help me avoid temptation lest I forget my joy and not ever grow roots.
Lord, let me not be choked by the cares. Let me cast my cares. Open my ears to hear Your word. Use it to work daily in our lives. Bring fruit. I need so desperately to be the seed on good soil. Prepare me daily, Father, to receive You and Your waters. Lord, make my life fruitful with good ground.
Mystery--so much of my life seems to be veiled. Keep me focused on You because I am Yours. Don't let me be bound by blindness or deafness.
Help me to treasure small things. Seeds are tiny, yet your word demonstrates the worth of them. Water, light, warmth, time--and then miracles are generated on my behalf!
5."A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, " 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand. 11. "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.15. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Our Sunday morning class (The Valley of Vision: Praying Purposefully & Artfully) partook in a writing exercise this week. It was a classroom experiment which involved no special preparation. We were simply instructed to read the portion of scripture which was given to us, re-write it in our own words as a prayer, and pass the page along to the next person. In turn, each member of the class composed a short response to the passage we were given. Nine different passages of scripture were handed around. Nine befuddled people, none of whom thought they were up to the task, were given one whole minute to scribble a short prayer. In the end, nine amazingly heartfelt prayers were crafted and read aloud to the class. We were astounded and humbled to know that God was at work in our seemingly feeble efforts.
I share this prayer, which was patterned after the Parable of the Sower and the Seed, with the confidence that you will be blessed!
Let me not reject Your spirit working through common familiar things, but rather may I have eyes to see You & Your heart in all things. God, please do not let Your seeds wither- but let me stay moist soil. Help me avoid temptation lest I forget my joy and not ever grow roots.
Lord, let me not be choked by the cares. Let me cast my cares. Open my ears to hear Your word. Use it to work daily in our lives. Bring fruit. I need so desperately to be the seed on good soil. Prepare me daily, Father, to receive You and Your waters. Lord, make my life fruitful with good ground.
Mystery--so much of my life seems to be veiled. Keep me focused on You because I am Yours. Don't let me be bound by blindness or deafness.
Help me to treasure small things. Seeds are tiny, yet your word demonstrates the worth of them. Water, light, warmth, time--and then miracles are generated on my behalf!
posted by thisrequiresthought at 10:07 PM
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