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Articles from April 2015

Our Heart-Soil: Thorny Soil

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Have you ever thought of your heart as a bed of soil for the seed of God’s Word to grow? When better than spring—a time known for new growth—to consider the soil of our hearts? How well does it allow the word of the Lord to grow? Won’t you join me this week as we search for answers? You might be as surprised by what we discover!

Thorny Soil

“Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.” Mark 4:7, NLT

Wednesday_Day_Three_Pic-Thorn_HeartHave you ever choked on a piece of food or something that got stuck in your throat? I’ve seen more than one person with the wide-eyed look of fright on their faces because they were choking. I’ve also experienced it. It’s unpleasant and scary because you feel like you can’t breathe. And how do we come to choke in the first place? Often it’s the result of some distraction from what we’re doing. Inhaling too fast, trying to speak  or laugh, or gagging on something too large to swallow can be the cause.

Sometimes God’s Word doesn’t grow in our hearts because we allow the cares of the world to steal our focus and have priority in our lives. For some this may be a drive to power, fame, or riches. For others it can take the form of unhealthy habits, which can lead to addictions. Yet others get lost in worry and fear. These cares could not ensnare us though, unless we put our trust in them. Just as thorns can’t choke out plants without getting a good hold on them, sin can’t extinguish the growth of God’s Word in the life of a believer without that believer’s assistance. We make the choices that lead to a choking out of the Word in our lives.

Thorny soil robs the seed of much growth by squeezing the life out of it while it’s young and vulnerable. Read todays Dose verse. In Mark 4:18-19 we read, The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

The thorns that choke out growth are examples of sin, which entered the world with Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God. Literally, they are part of the curse of the land. Just as they choke out the growth of young fruits, veggies, and plants, a heart of thorns chokes out the growth of the word in the life of believers. Then they squeeze and squeeze until all growth dies.

Maybe as you read this today, you realize that your heart is overrun with thorns that are choking the life out of your spiritual growth. Be encouraged; our Lord is able and willing to free you from those thorns. Ask Him. You needn’t stay ensnared another minute.

Releasing the chokehold,

Rita

Our Heart-Soil: Shallow Soil

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Have you ever thought of your heart as a bed of soil for the seed of God’s Word to grow? When better than spring—a time known for new growth—to consider the soil of our hearts? How well does it allow the word of the Lord to grow? Won’t you join me this week as we search for answers? You might be as surprised by what we discover!

 

Shallow Soil

“Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died.”

Mark 4:5-6 NLT

Tuesday_Day_Two_Pic_#1-Sprouting_PlantGreat evangelists seem to have a gift for delivering a message so passionate that it gets right down into your soul and compels you to respond. Sometimes it’s so soul-stirring that when the evangelist invites people to confess and repent of their sin, and profess their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, many do so eagerly and right away. They follow a lot of people down to the front of the stage or pulpit to publicly profess their conversion.

Then they’re off and running as a brand new baby-Christian! They just know everything is going to be great in their lives from then on. They’re promised heaven, not hell! There’ll be no more troubles because Jesus has fixed everything and they’re going to start doing everything right! They’re eager and happy to receive all of the promised blessings and assurances! So, they get busy doing the things that they think a Christian should do; trying to be the way a Christian should be!

But how long does that last before they can’t do it anymore? Sometimes the soil of our heart is not a resistant stone but a shallow surface. Read today’s Dose verse. The heart of a shallow soil grabs up the word with glee and forges ahead, but it only lasts temporarily, as long as no trials are presented. Mark 4:16-17 describes it this way, the seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.

Tuesday_Day_Two_Pic_#2-Wilted_SunflowerThe heart of shallow soil has no staying power because there is no deep planting of the seed. The word gets in just past the sand and rocky layer but not deep enough to hold strong roots for withstanding the challenges ahead. There’s no genuine change of heart through the Holy Spirit; everything’s based upon an emotionally charged feeling, generated from the passion of the preacher. This heart demonstrates a lack of grounding in the Word of God, discipleship, and mature Christian mentors. We try to do things in our own inadequate strength and we wilt under the pressure.

A shallow, superficial heart will not sustain the growth of the seed of God’s Word.

Are you working with a shallow heart today, Dear One? Don’t despair. Ask God to give you strong roots in His Word. He will.

Deepening shallow roots,

Rita

Our Heart-Soil: Stony Soil

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Have you ever thought of your heart as a bed of soil for the seed of God’s Word to grow? When better than spring—a time known for new growth—to consider the soil of our hearts? How well does it allow the word of the Lord to grow? Won’t you join me this week as we search for answers? You might be as surprised by what we discover!

 

Stony Soil

“A farmer went out to plant some seed … some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.” Mark 4:3-4 NLT

Monday_day_One_Pic-Heart_of_StoneOne Sunday at the end of the weekly church service, I decided to stand in line and say something substantive to the preacher. So I said, “Great sermon today, Pastor.” Feeling satisfied, I stepped forward only to have the pastor reply, “Tell me Rita, what was it about today’s sermon that made it so great for you?” Stunned, I stood there in silence as I strained to come up with something, anything, which he’d spoken that morning. Nope, I had nothing substantive to say. I weakly murmured, “You know, all the parts about Jesus!” Then, I hastily beat a retreat out of his presence. Can you even relate to my loss of dignity in that moment?

I’d sat through the entire sermon while the word of the Lord was snatched from me faster than the birds grabbed the seed in our Dose verse. Read it now.

The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. Mark 4:15

We may believe that these verses simply refer to blatant rebellion against God’s Word but that isn’t the only way to demonstrate a heart hardened to the truth. A pattern of bad habits can get us there as well.

I wasn’t operating in blatant rebellion, but the soil of my heart was not receptive to receiving the fresh seed of God’s word that Sunday morning—or many other Sundays for that matter. My discerning pastor recognized that also. How often have we heard the word but failed to absorb it? This is especially possible for those of us who’ve either grown up in the church, or as regular attendees, gotten too comfortable in our church routine. When we repeatedly have a heart that doesn’t take in the word, it’s a heart that gets harder and harder over time. The results can be just as devastating as blatant rebellion to the word because we allow the Devil to snatch the precious seed of truth from a stony bed of soil, our hardened hearts.

The wise pastor isn’t looking to see how impressed we are with him or his sermon because it’s not about him; it’s about the Lord speaking to our hearts and our willingness to truly hear and respond in humble obedience to the Holy Spirit’s calling.

Only Jesus Christ can transform the stony soil of a hard heart to one softened for the growth of His Word.

Does your heart need softening today? Ask Him, He’ll do it.

Softening the stony heart,

Rita