The Parable of the Sower, Luke 8:4-15

    And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
    And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
(Luke 8:4-15 ESV)
         I have read this parable a couple of times but never fully understood what it meant, even after Jesus explanation. I always wondered what seed am I? Am I being choked out by the world? But today the Spirit really showed me something awesome! In the last sentence Jesus says those in good soil are those that "Hold Fast" the word of God "in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience." Holding fast meaning being tightly secured to Jesus! We don't need to worry about what soil we are in, but we do need to anchor ourselves to Jesus. It is so easy for us as Christians to be concerned with the world around us, and protecting ourselves from sin. But a seed can not keep weeds away, and seeds are not planted to reed the world of weeds! But seeds are planted for their planters pleasure! The planter cultivates the growth! Jesus cultivates our growth! Our purpose is not to defeat sin, but to cling to Jesus! Jesus defeated sin and death! And if we rely on Him with patience, then we will bear fruit. Stop asking what soil you are in, and start clinging to Jesus!

Romans 3:9-12

"What then?  Are we Jews any better off?  No, not at all.  For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin (Romans 3:9)."  This is pretty much telling us that everyone including the Jews are under sin.  No one is better off.  Well you may ask what about Romans 3:1-2?  Yes the Jews have an advantage over the gentiles, they were given the oracles of God.  So they know the law but yet still  are unfaithful to it.  So the Jews have an advantage over the Gentiles but are not better off because they all are under sin.

" None is righteous, no not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one (Romans 3:10-12)."  Once again Paul emphasizes that we are all under sin.  Paul also says something very interesting, no one seeks for God.  What does this mean?  It means that no one on his own seeks for God.  Now what is this part about no one does good?  What about that time I helped that old lady across the street or when that guy dropped his wallet and I gave it back to him instead of taking it?  Are those not good deeds?  The issue Paul is addressing here is that prior to salvation people do perform actions that resemble goodness, but these actions are still stained by evil, since they are not done for Gods glory and do not come from faith.

Proverbs 1:7

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction"

This started as the Proverbs Challenge of March for me but this kinda hit me right off the bat..
We too often forget that God is just and one to be feared in addition to being loved. We allow ourselves to focus on the blessings we feel we deserve. I can't help but think of Joel Osteen when I read this..always talking about how if God loves him, he will receive money and cars and houses, etc. He's choosing to ignore the righteous justice of God... We must always keep in mind that we are completely fallen, deserving nothing, and that without God's grace, we would be completely lost in our own right.

Fear God; Know God; Love God

Job 3

So this passage confused me the first time I read through it and I'm not sure I fully understand it just yet. In the preceding passage, Job is stricken with leprosy. His wife rebukes him, his friends confront him, yet he still will not give in to their temptation of just simply giving up... At this point, Job falls on his knees, cuts himself with a broken clay pot, and begins vehemently cursing the day of his birth.. What reason is there in cursing his existence? It is interesting to note that though he curses his birthday, he does not curse his God. It still is sinful what Job did because it was vain and he is later reproved by God for it, but I still am unsure as to why, of all things, Job chooses his birthday to swear off..

John 15:13

John 15:13 (HCSB)
No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.

Matthew 1:22-23

Matthew 1:22-23 (HCSB)


22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated "God is with us."

How awesome is that. That His name means God is with us.  In Hebrews 13:5 the Bible says that God will never leave us nor forsake us.  Its very comforting to know that God will always be there for us.  Its nice to be reminded of that. Its something I think we take for granted sometimes.  But He will always be there for us.

Psalm 63:1

"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."-Psalm 63:1(ESV)
This verse is quite amazing, and brings up a very interesting thought at the same time. The author recognizes who God is, and also recognizes how dependent on God he is. His soul's satisfaction is totally dependent on God, and his entire flesh cannot function without God. So I must ask the question is this our relationship with God now? The Gospel teaches us that faith in Jesus Christ, and His work of dying upon the cross for the sins of the world bring us salvation, and it is this alone! It is through Jesus Christ's sacrifice that we may come to know God more intimately. So like the author of this Psalm, we first recognize and put our faith that Jesus is God. Then you see what comes next, our willingness or our desire becomes only to know God more. So brothers, where are you at in your relationship with God? Have we not found the kingdom of heaven? Jesus says "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."-(Matthew 13:44 (ESV)) Brothers what are we doing? I think we have been tricked into thinking that since we know that Jesus has saved us, then we are done learning more and experiencing more of God. But the truth is we settle on earthly things that do not last, on relationships that will eventually end, and on pleasures that will not satisfy. Is your soul thirsting for God? A.W. Tozer said this "The man who has God for his treasure has all things in one. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in one all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately and forever." Should we not be seeking this treasure? Is this not what our soul longs for?