Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

October 14
Monday


SEEDS AND SOILS

READ:
Matthew 13:1-9
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Grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ.
__2 Peter 3:18
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If you like growing pumpkins, you have probably heard of Dill's Atlantic Giant variety of premium pumpkin seeds. Developed on a family farm in Atlantic Canada, the pumpkins grown from these seed have set records around the world. In 2011, a pumpkin grown in Quebec set a new world record at 1,818.5 pounds (825 kg). That size of pumpkin could yield almost 1,000 pieces of pie!

When news reporters asked how this pumpkin could grow to such a size, the farmer replied that it had to do with the soil. The seeds were of a special large variety, but the soil still had to be right or the pumpkin wouldn't grow properly.

The Lord Jesus used an illustration in which He compared different types of ground to a person's response to God's Word (Matt. 13). Some seeds were eaten by the birds, others started to grow but were choked by the weeds, and some grew up instantly but had no soil to further their growth. But the seeds that fell on the good soil "yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (v.8).

Each of us needs to ask, "What kind of soil am I?" the Lord wants to plant His Word in our hearts so we can grow in our knowledge of Him. __Brent Hackett, RBC Canada Director

`````````````````More about Jesus let me learn,`````````````````
``````````````````More of His Holy will discern;`````````````````
`````````````````Spirit of God, my teacher be,``````````````````
`````````Showing the things of Christ to me. __Hewill````````````
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The fruit of the spirit grows in the soil of obedience.

************************Today's Bible Reading __ Mathew 13:1-9**********************

1 On the same day Jesus
went out of the house and
sat by the sea. 2 And great
multitudes were gathered
together to Him, so that He
got into a boat and sat; and
the whole multitude stood
on the shore. 3 Then He
spoke many things to them
in parables, saying:
"Behold, a sower went out
to sow. 4 And as he sowed,
some seed fell by the
wayside; and the birds came
and devoured them. 5 Some
fell on stony places, where
they did not have much
earth; and they immediately
sprang up because they had
no depth of earth. 6 But
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 sprang up and
choked them. 8 But others
fell on good ground and
yielded a crop: some a
hundredfold, some sixty,
some thirty. 9 He who has
ears to hear, let him hear!"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The Holman Concise Bible Commentary sheds light on why Jesus
sometimes used parables: "Parables are short, metaphorical
narratives designed to teach truths about spiritual realities in ways
that reveal insights to those open to Jesus' claims about Himself
but that further alienate those who are not so receptive. Even the
structure of this sermon reflects the growing polarization. First Jesus
addressed the increasingly skeptical crowds, then He turned to His
more loyal disciples. The letter do not always catch on any better
at firsts, but they remain faithful and so eventually achieve more
profound understanding" Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit will often
determine how a person hears spiritual truth. Approaching Christ's
teachings with an open heart is the best way to gain understanding.