OUR DAILY BREAD : SOWING SEED WITH TEARS

[cimi]

December 12
Saturday


SOWING SEED
WITH TEARS

READ:
Ephesians 4:17-24
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I have great sorrow and
continual grief in my
heart. __Romans 9:2
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In our Bible-study class, we were reading Ephesians 4:17-24 out loud when Alyssa began to cry. Most of us were wondering why, when she quietly said, "I'm crying because hearing this passage read out loud makes me see the condition that lost people are in. They're separated from God and are blind to it! That breaks my heart."

One person in the class admitted later that he was embarrassed he had never felt that sad about nonbelievers and had in the past even talked excitedly about the judgment they would receive one day from God.

The apostle Paul laid out the condition of the lost with these words: "[They have] their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God.... because of the blindness of their heart" (Eph. 4:18). He testified that he had "great sorrow and continual grief in [his] heart" because his fellow countrymen had not yet come to know the love of Christ (Rom. 9:1-3).

As we think about the condition of nonbelievers, we can remember God's heart toward them: "The Lord is... long-suffering toward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). When we share the Word of God and pray earnestly for others, eyes will be opened to His love. __Anne Cetas
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``````````````````Oh give me Lord, Thy love for souls,`````````````
````````````````````For lost and wandering sheep,````````````````
````````````````````That I may see the multitudes````````````````
````````````````And weep as Thou didst weep. __Harrison``````````
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Open your heart to the Lord,
and He will open your eyes to the lost.

**************Today's Bible Reading __ Ephesians 4:17-24*********

17 This I say, therefore, and
testify in the Lord, that you
should no longer walk as
the rest of the Gentiles
walk, in the futility of their
mind, 18 having their
understanding darkened,
being alienated from the
life of God, because of the
ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness of
their heart; 19 who, being
past feeling, have given
themselves over to
lewdness, to work all
uncleanness with
greediness. 20 But you have not so
learned christ, 21 if indeed
you have heard Him and
have been taught by Him,
as the truth is in Jesus:

22 that you put off,
concerning your former
conduct, the old man which
grows corrupt according to
the deceitful lusts, 23 and be
renewed in the spirit of
your mind, 24 and that you
put on the new man which
was created according to
God, in true righteousness
and holiness.

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

Paul tells us that we are to exemplify a new kind of humanity--"the
new man which was created according to God" (v.24). When we
receive the gospel, we are given the Holy Spirit, who provides a new
kind of life. The key to spiritual growth is to put off former patterns
of sinful behavior and put on holy and righteous behavior.

__DENNIS FISHER