Sowing Seed

I am not sure if I have heard this before and just didn’t realize the impact this should have on me till now or if this was something new the other morning.  Anyway, I  was reading the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8:4-15 and my focus was changed.  Usually when I read this or hear it preached the focus is on the lost and those we are trying to reach.  There is nothing wrong with this.  It is important to know where you are sowing your Spiritual seed.  Though I think it is also important to scatter seed wide.  This man is a farmer and probably had been all his life.  Yet he still spread the seed wide over a mixture of terrain.  If you don’t scatter liberally, how are you going to find the fertile ground?  

But the other morning my focus was not on the lost.  It was on myself.  I found myself asking, “what type of ground am I?”  Am I the one who heard, but the devil came and took the Word away so I would not believe?  Am I the one who received the Word with joy but has no firm root so that I will fall away in time of temptation?  Am I the one heard, but was choked by worries and riches and pleasures and so ‘bring no fruit to maturity?’  Or am I the one who heard and holds it fast so that I ‘bear fruit with perseverance?’  

Go read the passage for yourself.  Then ask yourself these questions.  It is not wrong to focus on the lost, but we were all in that group at one point in our past (or maybe you still are).  If you are a Christian, consider where you came from, consider what you are now, and take an honest look at what kind of ground you are and the fruit you are bearing.

God is our Stronghold

To whomever may read this blog I first want to apologize for the lack of posts lately.  I have had a rather crazy summer.  I joined staff with Campus Crusade for Christ and was in Colorado most of the summer for that.  Now I am raising support so I can report to my assignment with Cru.  The result of this is that I have not had much time or energy to sit down and think about my blog.  Anyway, I hope to start posting more now.

Along those lines, I was reading in Psalms lately and in chapter 59 David calls God his Stronghold three different times (verses 9, 16 and 17).  It struck me that David truly believes this and probably lived like it.  As I was reading this I realized I don't see God as my Stronghold.  This got me to thinking, "if I took this to heart and lived it out, what would change in my life?"  Well, here are a few possibilities:

1. Courage:  Fear would be diminished in all areas of life.  It would by no means be gone, but with God as my stronghold, it would be easily overcome.  Since God cannot be beaten, I can take courage and shove fear aside.
2. My needs are provided for.  A stronghold is stocked for survival in case of attack.  So even though I may not see how I can make it I just need to look to God and take refuge in Him.
3. A stronghold is not easily overtaken.  Except when there is internal fighting or betrayal.  With God, I can be confident He will never be overrun.  The only time I am in danger is when I let something lure me out of that protection.

There are more, but that is just a sample.  If you were to live like God were your Stronghold, what would that change?  What is keeping you from living like that right now?