Seed By the Wayside

                                                     

Matthew 13:19 "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side".

In the days of old, there was no Bible, no word of God written somewhere. So when God needed to communicate he did so through prophets. They had a calling, were receptive to God's communication through dreams and signs, were blessed with wisdom and knew human nature of those times.

Today, we find all these qualities in Gods word, and hence, just as it was critical to listen to what the prophets said then, it is critical for us to read and understand Gods word now - to gain His wisdom, knowledge and His instruction for our lives.

To do this we need to go beyond just reading the word. We need to read, understand and apply it to our lives.

To read His word is simple - we just need to find and consecrate quiet, unadulterated time to it.

Understanding His word needs some work. In the quoted chapter Jesus Himself asks that question - "have you understood all these things"? That is the importance to be attached to His word. We need to research the background, sometimes check translations, understand the context and references and so on. (For example we may have read Psalms 35 and 91 many times but have to stopped to find out what is a "buckler" and thus how can you ever understand the impact when it says His truth and His helps is like a "shield and buckler"?)

All of this is possible only by dedicating time, patience and is hard work, but above all we need to ask for the wisdom and guidance to understand it from the Holy Spirit. Thus, it may be a good idea to pray for such opening of the eyes and mind by the Holy Spirit before we read.

And then comes the application to our lives. If we have read it and understood it, we will be able to identify, without rationalization or justification, the impact of what we do and ask forgiveness, specifically for those acts of commission or omission we may not even be conscious of, correct them and practice the new way according to His word, so that it gets sowed deep in our hearts and minds.

In the quoted verse, and in the parable, Jesus is talking about exactly this: hearing or reading the word of God and not understanding it can open us up to deceit by Satan. He can misrepresent it (through adulterated doctrine) or minimize the impact of what we have read, through faulty understanding or biases, so that it becomes useless, making us completely vulnerable.

So, if we are in the habit of performing a tick in the box by perfunctory reading, albeit it maybe a daily discipline, understand that it opens us to spiritual danger and becomes a useless exercise. A time wasted. A life without purpose. A shallow understanding. It's better not to read it at all.

So let us not receive "the seed" (Gods word) by "the Wayside" , as a superficial reception, but give His word the honor, understanding, time and Devotion it deserves and demands and ask for the Holy Spirit for give wisdom to understand the word.

The Modern Eve

Despite the actions of Adam and Eve, and Eve's role in those events, God recognized the immense value and strategic importance of a woman as a wife. If Eve possessed the ability to influence Adam toward rebellion, she also had the potential to guide him toward faithfulness and obedience to God.

In this light, the modern-day woman embodies a vital role—serving as God’s influencer within the family. A wife has the capacity to inspire spiritual growth and foster faithfulness and godliness in her husband and children. Her influence, however, extends far beyond the boundaries of her immediate family, reaching into society, the church, the workplace, and the broader community.

Thus, today's Eve holds a very important position : that of being Gods influencer in the family.

The Bible features numerous women who wielded significant influence, demonstrating strength, faith, and leadership. Here are a few notable examples:

Miriam:

She was a prophetess and played a crucial role in the early life of Moses. Her leadership in song and dance after the crossing of the Red Sea highlights her influence.

Deborah:

She was a prophetess and judge, providing leadership and guidance to the Israelites.

She led the Israelite army to victory against their enemies.

Esther:

She was a queen who risked her life to save the Jewish people from annihilation. Her courage and strategic thinking had a profound impact on her nation's survival.

Mary, the mother of Jesus:

Her acceptance of God's call to bear Jesus had a pivotal role in Christian history. Her faith and obedience are held as examples.

Mary Magdalene:

She was a devoted follower of Jesus and the first witness to his resurrection. Her testimony played a vital role in spreading the news of Jesus's resurrection.

Lydia:

She was a successful businesswoman, and a very early convert to Christianity in Europe. Her hospitality, and the conversion of her household, provided a place for the early church to grow.

These remarkable women demonstrate that, throughout biblical history, women held profound influence and made significant contributions to their communities and to the unfolding of God’s plan. While some, like Eve and Potiphar's wife, are remembered for negative influence, countless others serve as sources of inspiration for using influence to uplift and bring about goodness.

Today, we appreciate the women around us and have seen them play a significant role during Lent, both in biblical narratives and in modern spiritual practices. They continue to embody the spirit of Lent through acts of service, prayer, and leadership in their communities.

Losses and Gains of Prayer

There is this story of a man who was asked what he gained by praying so much to God. The man replied nothing. But I lost a lot. How so, he was asked, what did you lose?

"I lost anger, greed, ego, insecurity and fear of death to start with".

On reading this, maybe fictitious, story, one thinks - what did I gain or lose by praying and spending time with God?

For starters we may gain a relationship with the Father. By having that we can be assured that all things, no matter how dismal they may look today, work together for our good. So that builds up faith. We also realize we are under His protection. That builds up a sense of security. We also realize that He is very real, because we see Him at work in our life. Therefore, He exists in a realm which is our destination and therefore death is not final. And till then, we are at peace with ourselves and our fellow men, which adds to happiness

Finally, our deep peace comes from not being at loggerheads with God over who's will we want. Our will aligns with Gods will and we, together, develop a common vision for us.

And then I realize the truth: sometimes what we see as a loss at the moment, turns out to be a blessing.

Prayer is not about gaining something or losing something. It's about building a relationship with our creator, which takes care of each of us in this life on earth and assures us of a life in His realm thereafter.

Keeping praying, even if what you want is not happening because What you truly and really need will always happen.

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Finding God

Matthew 17: Verses 1-9

About eight days after Jesus had made certain statements (likely referring to his impending suffering and death), he took Peter, John, and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 

As Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.

The three of them were looking at God!

One wonders how and when and if we too will see God or encounter God in our earthly life. Ms. Francis Taylor answers this question in a simple and beautiful way, and we reproduce it here:

"When I asked myself that question (if I will see God), I came up with so many answers they were too long to list! However, I will name a few: looking into the faces of my newborn children and grandchildren, watching the waves break on a stormy day, standing in Denali, looking up at Mt. McKinley, a crocus peeking out of the snow, seeing the sunrise and/or sunset over the ocean, seeing the look of love in the eyes of a spouse or a child. I could go on but it's time for you to think about it. One thing I have learned is that you won't see the hand of God unless you look for it. I feel very gifted that I had a grandmother who taught me to look for God when I was very young – three years old! Needless to say, my world was not exactly filled with exciting visions at that point – nor has it been since then, but I learned that God was in the very ordinariness of our days. You are running late and find that you just missed the accident on the highway. You didn't hit the car that came out from behind the snow bank without stopping. God is always there in both the good and the sad times. 

We cannot stand with Peter, James and John at the top of the mountain but as we continue through Lent, let us challenge ourselves to take a few moments at the end of each day and thank God for God's presence in the ordinariness of our own days".