Sowing and Reaping Seed. Part 2

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"Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  6But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away."  Mark 4:5-6  NKJV

Continuing with our study of the Sower, let's look at the next stumbling block:

Stony ground.  I don't know if you have ever tried to sow seed on stony or rocky ground, and hoped for a harvest. It is extremely difficult. The ground is hard and it's like working with concrete. The chance of success is marginal.

This was the problem here. Jesus spoke of sowing seed on stony ground. To do this, one finds there is little soil and so the seed is sown in shallow ground. The harvest may be quick, if at all. However, the plant is short lived because there is no significant root for it to obtain the nutrients 

it requires to be able to survive. Therefore, the plant soon shrivels up and dies.

Again, Jesus speaks metaphorically, looking at the heart of the hearer. Most people receive the Word of God with great joy and gladness. It is so easy to be carried along with other worshippers when they are praising God. Sadly, for these people, they have no root and before they realise it, Satan comes and snatches the Word away. They may hang on to the Word for a short while, but when troubles come along, they fall. 

We're looking at stony ground and stony hearts here. If there is no root within the believer, because of its shallow existence, the fire of the Holy Spirit is extinguished very quickly. Commitment fails when some people face opposition or problems. This is the hallmark of the superficial believer. A person's faith is only as strong as their willingness to identify with Jesus. This is how Paul was able to say 'I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.'  Galatians 2:20

The only difference between us and Paul, was that he was sold out for God; nothing else mattered except living for Him. Thus, he avoided stony ground.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Sowing and Reaping Seed. Part 1

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"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it."  Mark 4:3-4   NKJV

Over the next few days, let's focus on one of Jesus' parables - The Sower. Jesus went out one day and began to teach the multitude along the shore. As the crowd became larger, He got into one of the fisherman's boats and His disciples pushed Him slightly away from the crowd and He began to teach them again. Now, Jesus often spoke in parables, which were quite difficult to understand. I remember when we were first saved back in 1980, I always found this teaching quite challenging, not only in the strength of the message but, initially trying to understand what on earth Jesus was saying. If you're a new Christian, this may be where you are at this time. Don't give up; this is why there are bible study groups and also helps when you look into a study bible. It all falls into place.

Jesus began speaking about a sower of seed. It was not unusual in the growing season to see a sower scattering the seed everywhere - pathways, in weeds, fertile ground and also very rocky ground. The ground on which the seed was scattered was not always the best to sow on.

Jesus spoke of four different types of ground, the first being:

The Wayside  In Jesus' explanation (v14-15) He referred to the seed the sower was scattering as the Word. 'The sower sows the word'. 15 'And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.'  Just like the birds of the air will swoop down and eat seed that is scattered, Satan will also steal the Word of God from someone before it has taken root within the heart. This happens to young Christians and mature ones alike. Our lives are busy, and we can become easily distracted. We see something in the scriptures and we feel that it is for us and we must write it down; but then, something happens to take away our focus, and we forget about it.

Satan is very skilful in doing this. He waits for the right moment. Try not to have a clogged up mind when you are in the presence of God. If you can, practice leaving all the baggage at the door to wherever you pray. Keep the channel open to God, always, and whenever a wonderful piece of scripture comes your way, write it down in your bible or note book. Never, never, never, never give up or allow Satan to steal from you; gems that Jesus is imparting in your heart.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

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Uprooted trees

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"3He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper"

                                                                                  Psalm 1:3   NKJV

A large part of the world has been battered just lately by Storm Darragh. Trees uprooted, roofs blown off properties and wide flooding, just to name a little. It has been a scary time for those involved in this. On the subject of trees, David Guzik comments:

 'He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water: A tree by a river has a continual source of water. It will never wither away, because it is always getting what it needs. If we are constantly needy, it may be worth examining if we are planted by the rivers of water or not. This would also be a tree that is strong and stable, sinking down deep roots. The life of the righteous man is marked by strength and stability'.  Enduring Word

In today's terms, how do you measure up to this scripture? Are you like a tree that is firmly planted so that, whatever comes your way, you are still left standing and in good shape, still bearing good fruit? Or, do life events knock you over and, like a decayed or old tree, you come crashing down crushing everything in its way? 

God designed us, 'That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.'   (Isaiah 61:3)

Life is not easy at times and can be made harder by, never ending problems that mount up and try and rob us of our joy. A well nourished and healthy tree will usually stand firm when it is well rooted and taken care of. Imagine for one moment that you are a tree. Are you well nourished and spiritually healthy to be able to stand firm and well rooted when trouble comes your way? This may be things that bring you anxiety, worry and stress. The pressure may be so severe that you may find yourself at a loss to know how to handle such things. 

Stop right there! You know what to do; you know Jesus is only a heart-beat away and you only have to call on Him and He will send angels to rescue you and resolve issues that have flared up. There is nothing too difficult for Him but, you must know God's Word so that you know how to handle each and every situation. It's no good having a car if you don't read the manual is it? Or probably, you may be one of those people who never read the instructions. If you are, and ithings go wrong then, you only have yourself to blame. Sorry, but it is true.

Get rooted firmly in God's Word and start living a faith-filled, Holy Spirit led life like Jesus intended for you. You will then be firmly rooted in God.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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God's wall of protection

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“We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks. 2Open the gates, That the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. 3You will keep him 

in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You".

                                                                               Isaiah 26:1-3   NKJV

There are many times in our life, when we need God's protection. Things come at us like missiles. We know satan fires arrows or missiles at us to block our way forward. But, it is not always satan doing this, it is just life piling in on us, so much, that we want to stop the world and get off. Many people do this, they step off this world and end their life for one thing or another.

But, God has provided His protection for us. For Christians, there is a door we go through at salvation - a fortress, and it has walls built around it. We have total protection. But He has also provided a door for non-Christians, and it is the same door that Christians walk through, Believers are already have access to this place of safety through their salvation. Non-believers have the same opportunity; as they call on Jesus and give their life to Him, they too can walk through this door to protection and victory. 

The gate is open and permission is granted because of our righteousness. Therefore, whenever things  get us down; whenever we need help and protecting, we can walk through this door and meet with Jesus for our help. How does this happen you may say? It happens through prayer. We call to Him and He hears us and we are saved and protected: 'For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.'  Romans 10:13.

Of course, these wall and fortress I'm discussing are metaphors that Isaiah saw through faith-filled eyes. For us, it is God's armour, Jesus Himself and the hedge of protection we can ask to have placed around us. This 'gate' is always open - all hours and never closes so, therefore we can share in the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). It is the perfect peace, Jews recognise as Shalom. Shalom or Peace. Peace. So aim to remain in this peace. The condition for this is to have your mind stayed on Him. Constantly having Jesus on our minds and sold out to Him. 

This peace is all around us; one only has to reach out and ask for it. Jesus will never ignore you or refuse to give this to you. So, ask Jesus for a wall or hedge of protection around you. Back this up with studying His word, praying to Him and ensure that you have Perfect Peace in your life. You will never regret it.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

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Stir up and poke that fire

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"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind".

                                                                             2 Timothy 1:7  NKJV

Paul wrote to Timothy telling him to stir up the gift of God which is in you v6. Timothy, was a faithful man and had been placed, by Paul, as the pastor of the Ephesus church. Now Timothy was capable but, he had a tendency to be quite timid. He would have to change this as, some of the men in the church were strong characters.

Therefore, Paul encouraged him to drop the fear. Fear, focuses on the situation and abilities to cope, rather than what God can do to help. Following fear will obliterate all opportunities to overcome. So, Paul encouraged him to stir up the gift of God which he received when he laid hands on him earlier. Stirring up this gift, would also help Timothy to change his thinking and, re-kindle the flame that had been in him. In other words, Paul was encouraging him to grab hold of the power (courage), compassion (love) and self control (sound mind) and he will be able to stand.

When we sit by a fire, we tend to poke it back into life. A fire left to itself, will always burn out. The Greek word for this is anazopureo which means to kindle afresh or to keep in full flame.

So, this not only applied to Timothy but, also to each one of us. We need to re-ignite that fire that was once burning within us and keep it burning. We have a lot to accomplish for Jesus before He comes and, we need to be strong enough to be able to stand against whatever may try to block us. Therefore, don't look at fear and become intimidated by it; cast it aside and forge a way forward in the name of Jesus. This is what you are here on earth for! 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

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Caring for the sheep

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"He makes me to lie down in green pastures.'   Psalm 23:2   NKJV

Let us take a further look at Psalm 23. It's a well-known fact in the farming world, sheep will not lie down, unless four requirements are fulfilled:

(1)  Free from fear

(2)  Free from tensions

(3)  Free from the torment of parasites

(4)  Free from the need to find food

Therefore, they need to be at peace. Anything that startles them or what they perceive to be a danger, they will avoid at all costs. They need to be secure, loved and wanted. Any wild animal will spark a great fear within them and their stubbiness to lie down will be ever-present.

They must be free from tensions and strife. Any little thing such as this, will cause them to be difficult to handle. Sheep, understandably, suffer from parasites. Out in the fields all day can open them up to this torment. It aggravates them. And some sheep become quite hungry and may go looking for food from other fields. This opens them up to threats of attack and being lost.

Think about this and consider it in your life. After-all, we are God's sheep and can have similar struggles. Definitely, we can become stubborn, thinking that we know best. Some of us don't like taking orders from leadership and resent them being this way. Like the real sheep, we may find it difficult to lie down in green pastures. Some of us can't rest and become fidgety quite a lot. We may huff and puff, adding to the tension and aggravating other people too. Complaining soon follows in such conditions and, like the early Israelites in Moses' day, moan and groan about whatever is happening around us. Instead of complying, we tend to be stubborn.

God has done amazing things to ensure that we are comfortable and free from any of these problems. He wants us to lie down and be at peace; and He has addressed and taken care of any stumbling blocks in our way. So, don't you think that we need to reciprocate? 

 If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

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Watch the sectarianism

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"But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  40For he who is not against us is on our side.  41For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward"   Mark 9:39-41  NKJV

John was quite concerned that some people were casting out demons in Jesus' name, yet they didn't belong to their team; therefore they forbade them v38. Jesus' reply above, was that these people were not their enemies, but were also fulfilling the Word of God, albeit, not from their team.

Again, in Philippians there were similar accounts addressed by Paul's followers. There were people preaching Jesus to whoever would listen but, didn't belong to their fold. Paul wrote from his prison cell:

'Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill:  16The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;  17but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defence of the gospel.  18What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice'. Philippians 1:15-18.

These latter people were not against Paul and his apostles, but probably preaching out of selfish ambition. However, Paul said that it was ok. As long as Jesus was preached that's all that mattered.

Not everyone will be in your church, that is obvious. In fact, they may not even belong to a particular fellowship at all. But they belong to Jesus and if they don't belong to a church, this is up to them, not you or I. Many people today, have broken away from their churches and yet, they are on fire for Jesus and, are producing results. You may say that they need fellowship and teaching. They also need to be accountable. Perhaps they had all of this, but from one thing or another, they were hurt, bruised or badly treated by leadership or other people. They may well receive their teaching from reading their bibles, study and fellowshipping with Jesus. And it seems to be working. Therefore, perhaps we need to be open to this and understanding. As long as they are focusing on God and have not backslidden, they should be allowed their choices.

In conclusion, I'm not suggesting that people should leave their church and go it alone. Not at all. If church works for you, that is brilliant. However, we must be aware that many are not attending church and yet have a deep relationship with Jesus and, it suits them. 

We must allow choices to made.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

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