We’re a okay
up in the country; working hard, praying every day for our great state and our
nation. We all need wisdom and courage to think,
speak, and live the way we should. We
need patience and strength in the face of so many obstacles that are blocking
our path to heaven. Jesus said it best
in the Parable of the Sower in Luke chapter 8.
Life is often difficult, hard if you will. When life is hard, we sometimes give in to
the hardness of life and become hardened ourselves. We say, “Well, since I’m not having a good
day, why should anyone else.” If we want
to be the “good ground” that pleases God that bears the good fruit of
righteousness, we must remain open and sensitive to every opportunity to give,
to serve, and to show and share the tender loving care of Jesus Christ.
There are so
many rocks in the field that we are trying to plant. The field is our heart and the hearts of
those around us. The seed is the word
and ways of God. Temptations are like rocks
in the field that we are trying to plant.
We all deal with temptations.
Some don’t bother me at all. Some
trouble me all the time. It seems that I
am constantly moving the rocks or trying to plant around them. One thing is for sure for me. These temptations, the rocks won’t keep me
from planting.
We’re trying
to grow in faith and love, but there are so many thorns that are growing up
around us. These thorns are the cares of
life, pleasures, and the deceitfulness of riches. We all have work to do, bills to pay, spouses
to please, children to raise, neighbors to get along with, quotas to meet,
expectations to meet…I could go on and on about the cares of life. Sometimes…many times we let these cares of
life hinder or maybe even stop our progress to grow closer to the Lord. If it’s not the cares of life, maybe it’s our
desire to find pleasure in life, to be entertained. We all need rest and relaxation from time to
time, every day even. Nothing wrong with
that. Pleasure can become a thorn if we
lose sight of our priorities. We all
know that riches are deceitful. We need
clothes to wear, but do we really need a $100 pair of jeans or a $500 outfit? We all need food, but do really need to spend
so much on trips to Little Rock, Hot Springs, or Branson to eat? We need a house to live in, but just how many
square feet of space do we really need? We need a way to get to work, to school, and
to worship, but what is so wrong with the vehicle we have? Does a 2013 model get us where we want to go
better than a 2012 model? You see. These “thorns” that Jesus spoke about can
really hinder our progress as Christians to grow closer to God and closer to
living like Jesus would have us live.
We all need to
become good ground. Our hearts are
softened when we realize how precious life is and what is really important;
faith in God, family (our spouses, our children, our grandchildren, our
Christian family, our friends and neighbors…people), and our friends. Temptations can hinder us, but we know that temptations
also lead us to patience and strength (James 1). We all have to face the cares and pleasures
of life and the deceitfulness of riches.
We meet with the church every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday
evening, and at every other time we can to help us prioritize our lives so that
these things do not hinder our progress as Christians.
Well, enough
about that. Our VBS begins tomorrow,
Sunday (21st) at 5:00 p.m.
Our theme is “It’s a Blue Ribbon Life.”
We will be studying the fruits of the Spirit. Our plans are to meet on Sunday at 5:00 then
on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 7:00.
I hope you can make the drive up in the country to attend. You’ll be so glad you did. Just think.
When was the last time you saw cattle grazing out in the field. You need a little country in your life.
Hope you are
doing okay. I am. You know preachers. We can’t hardly wait for Sunday’s. I look forward to Bible study with my fellow
Christian brothers and sisters. I look
forward to the fellowship we enjoy at Enola.
I especially look forward to honoring God in worship. See you on Sunday, Lord willing.
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