Sowing the Word of God

Matthew13:4-9

 4.  And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

 5.  Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

 6.  And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

 7.  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

 8.  But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

 9.  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

As Christians we are farmers in the vineyard of God. God has already prepared the ground of the vineyard by giving Jesus Christ. God has given us all the tools we need to work on His vineyard. He has given us the Holy Spirit,  the blood of Jesus and  the testimony of His Word in our lives.

Our only commission is to sow the seeds of the life we received in Christ into the souls of people. It isn't our business to know whether the seed will sprout or not, but our main agenda is to sow. It is shouldn't also be our concern where the seed falls, because that is beyond our control, but our determination should be to take the seed to the soil that God has prepared. When sharing the Word of God (which is the seed), we should share it generously with anybody we come across, no matter whether they are ready to receive it not. Share the word with hardcore criminals, religious extremist, people hardened in sin, devil worshippers, prostitutes, murderers etc. Literally share  with everybody no matter of their beliefs, social status or creed and let the Holy Spirit do the conviction.

You cannot change any person not even your spouse and if you try to change people, they become even more rebellious and see you as a threat. Value people for who they are and the best you can do is to be that great person that affect their lives for Christ.

The Roadside

We have to know that as we preach the Word, the devil is always waiting around to steal the Word from people's hearts. It is our responsibility to consistently keep sowing and urging the listeners not to let the devil steal the word from them

Stony Places

When the Word falls on people hardened in sin, it makes no impression and it never suffers to take root. When you realise that the people you are sharing with are hardened in sin, you should pray to God to soften their hearts and give them a heart of flesh so that they can  be  able to receive the Word. There shouldn't be an excuse for you not to share the Word, but to continue doing it until with time God softens their hearts through the Word they get.

Ezekiel 11:19-20

19.  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

 20.  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

Thorny ground

The thorny ground represents believers who when the Word is preached, they don't  concentrate because  their  minds are somewhere else because there are some challenges they need to overcome in life. Even if the sermon was very powerful, and it ministered to them, the devil takes their mind away  and they don't actually reach a point where they are able to apply the Word preached to get results. If you are believer who falls in this category, go back to the Word of God and search it passionately and receive it in your heart, so that you can get results in you Christian life. This will help you recover all that which has been stolen. Do not allow the devil to steal the Word of God from you and retard your growth in Christ. Do not let the cares of life, high life style, deceitfulness of riches take away the sweetness of having a deep relationship with God. 

Good ground

The good ground represents believers who are focused of God, those who are not distracted by the cares, the riches or even problems from having a strong productive life in Christ. These are believers who are consistent in seeking God, sharing the Word, in prayer, in applying the Word, in spiritual warfare without fail. Their only business is the business of God in their lives. These are people who are ready to die for the truth, people who will never compromise  and they guard their faith passionately.

God bless you as you pursue a  productive life. Have a nice weekend

Author: Grace W. Kariuki

MOVE ON BRETHREN

Philippians 3: 13-14
13.  Brethren,  I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.


Don't live in your yesterdays. You can't change the past, but you can look to your future and anticipate great blessings. Therefore, forgive, be healed, pray about it, repent if you need to and MOVE ON!
Let go of the anger. Let go of the pain. Let go of the guilt. Don't become a prisoner of your past. MOVE ON!


The devil always wants us to remember our past, to remember our past mistakes and our bad deeds so that he can retard our growth in Christ. When the devil reminds you of your past tell him that your past is buried and now you are a new creature, redeemed and changed by Jesus. Jesus did not choose us because we were perfect, but He choose us because He loved us, though we were wretched, pitiful. and fallen. He then made us His and washed us by His precious blood and gave us a new song- amazing grace.


Remember, your testimony and the blood of the Lamb is our greatest weapon against the devil. Make use of it and MOVE ON.


By Grace

Icecream

Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace.
As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good. God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all!
Amen!"
Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby I heard a woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for ice-cream! Why, I never!"
Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?"
As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said,
"I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer."
"Really?" my son asked.
"Cross my heart," the man replied.
Then in a theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment
and then did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae and without a word, walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her,
"Here, this is for you.Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes; and my soul is good already."

SMILE!!!!!

She smiled at a sorrowful stranger...
The smile seemed to make him feel better...
He remembered past kindnesses of a friend
And wrote him a thank you letter...
The friend was so pleased with the thank you
That he left a large tip after lunch...
The waitress, surprised by the size of the tip,
Bet the whole thing on a hunch...
The next day she picked up her winnings,
And gave part to a man on the street...
The man on the street was grateful;
For two days he'd had nothing to eat...
After he finished his dinner,
He left for his small dingy room...
He didn't know at that moment
That he might be facing his doom...
On the way he picked up a shivering puppy
And took him home to get warm...
The puppy was very grateful
To be in out of the storm...
That night the house caught on fire...
The puppy barked the alarm...
He barked till he woke the whole household
And saved everybody from harm...
One of the boys that he rescued
Grew up to be President...
All this because of a simple smile
That hadn't cost a cent...

Important Question

During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one:

'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. Absolutely, said the professor. "In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello". I've never forgotten that lesson.

I also learned her name was Dorothy.

Life is Like a Cup of Coffee

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups have been taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. Savor the coffee, not the cups! The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.