Tag: seeking God

February 20 2023 – Luke 8 – Scattering Seed and Conditioning Soils

I am a beekeeper. I like to give my bees something to make honey from, so I have planted Dutch White Clover seeds occasionally. I don’t have an expensive seed drill or even an aerator so I have hand spread the seed. It is hit or miss. There are lots of factors for clover growth. The soil composition is one. Is it too hard for the seeds to get in and germinate? Does it have too much acidity? Is there too much shade on the lawn? Clover seed is not cheap so I don’t put it out every other week.

In Luke 8, Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower. He talks about someone going out and sowing seed. Some seed fell beside the road where it is trampled and birds eat it. Some fell on the rocky places where it springs up quickly but withers because it has no root. Others fell in the thorns and is choked out. Still other seed fell in the good soil where it produced “a crop a hundred times as great.”

The seed is the word of God and the different soils are the hearts of the people who hear it. I invite you to read the parable to hear about the hearts of people and how that affects their receptivity to the word of God. However, I want to think about how the seed was scattered. If I were a farmer listening to this parable I would think, who scatters seed on the roadside, the rocky soil, and in thorns? It must be very cheap seed to scatter it in those places.

The way the seed is scattered is often overlooked to talk about the soil conditions, or rather, the conditions of the hearts of people. How shocking to farmers or people who buy seed to think of sowing so broadly that you are casting seed even in places that you have little expectation of harvesting a crop. However, that is exactly how God operates in spreading his word. He makes no distinction in where the word of God is shared. He doesn’t just pour his word on good people, or people who go to church. He scatters his word everywhere, on the good and the bad.

He does this because God is patient and wants all people to be saved. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter3:9NIV

There are ways to condition soils to make them more receptive to the seed sown. We can fertilize, balance the pH, remove thorns, weeds and rocks, and we can till the soil to make it more hospitable to seed sown. We can also, through our living witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, condition the hearts of people. By our genuine love and care for others, we can change the condition of their hearts whereby they are more receptive to the word of God. Heart conditioning doesn’t happen just because we bombard people with the word of God. It happens as we intentionally care for, and love others.

God does not discriminate in who should hear the word of God. The Bible is the most widely translated book in the world. He spreads his word to the good people and the sinners alike. We can help in producing a bountiful harvest to the word by scattering abundantly and broadly, and by conditioning the hearts of all people by loving others as we love ourselves.

Prayer:

Lord thank you for planting your word in my heart and changing my life! Help me to share your word with everyone and help me to genuinely love others so their hearts will be receptive to your word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

February 6 – Mark 10 – Motives

In Mark 10 Jesus is petitioned for several different things. The little children are being brought to him to be blessed. Contrary to the protests of his disciples, Jesus blessed the children.

Later on, James and John come to him asking to be allowed to sit on the right and left in his glory. Jesus does not grant this request.

At the end of the chapter, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus was calling out for Jesus as he passed by. Jesus had him brought forward and asked, “what do you want me to do for you?” The blind beggar wanted to regain his sight and Jesus promptly granted that request and restored his sight.

In the chapter we had at least three different kinds of requests. Two were granted, one was not. As we pray asking God to do for us, we need to examine our motivations.

Looking at the requests, you could say that maybe all three were selfish. The beggar wanted to see again, a personal benefit to himself. The parents of the children wanted them to be blessed and all of the benefits that entailed.

However, James and John must have been making a power grab. When the other disciples heard what they had asked they were “indignant.” The request and the subsequent hard feelings prompted Jesus to explain how things work in the kingdom of God.

Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark10:42–45NASB1995

When we think about asking God to do for us, we need to remember the motives of James and John in asking for seats of power in Jesus glory. If our motives are pure we will have a better chance of God granting our petitions. “…You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James4:2–3NASB1995

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for the privilege to come to you in prayer anytime and any where. Help me to examine my motives in asking you to grant my petitions. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

February 4 2023 – Mark 8 – Tenderhearted

Jesus had just fed five thousand people in Mark 7 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. The disciples were there. They saw and participated in the miracle. In Mark 8 they see Jesus take 7 loaves of bread and feed four thousand people. The disciples saw this miracle and participated in it too. However, when they were in the boat heading to the other side of the lake, the disciples were concerned about not having enough bread.

Jesus overheard them discussing this and makes a statement that gives us some important insights. And Jesus, aware of this, *said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They *said to Him, “Twelve.” “When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they *said to Him, “Seven.” And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?” Mark8:17–21NASB1995

Hardheartedness keeps us from recognizing who God is, and understanding what God is doing. The disciples saw what Jesus did. They heard what he said, but they did not yet see or understand who they were following.

The remedy for this is to ask God to give us a tender heart, eyes to see and ears to hear. That means that God has to move us past our pride so that our hearts are not hard. It also involves remembering what God has been doing in our lives and in the life of our church. Jesus reminded the disciples of the miracles they had just seen. Remembering what God has done in and through us helps us to see God’s leading and direction through the miracles we have seen and witnessed.

Having a tender heart and remembering what God has done in us and through us helps us see the spiritual reality and not be stuck in the temporal. When we have trouble recognizing Jesus and the spiritual, we need to humble ourselves and ask for eyes to see and ears to hear.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for the miracles that show me who you are and what you are calling me to be. When the temporal world that I experience through my five senses, encroaches upon the spiritual, help me to have eyes to see and ears to hear what you are doing in me and around me. Amen.

Find past devotions at https://beingachildofgod.com/

February 3 2023 – Hebrews 12 – What is Faith?

Jesus tells those who follow him to have faith and if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. What exactly did he mean by that? What is faith and how do you have it and how do you grow it?

Throughout the Bible we see many examples of people of faith. In Hebrews 12, sometimes called the faith hall of fame, we see many real life examples of what faith is. The author of Hebrews defines faith and gives many examples to verify what he means.

According to the author, “…faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”Hebrews11:1NASB1995  Therefore we understand that faith is what we have been led to hope for through the Holy Spirit and the conviction, again, through the Holy Spirit, that what we hope for is and will be a reality. He gives several examples of people who were led to hope for something. They believed God and stepped out in faith to respond to that hope. God rewarded their faith by fulfilling what he led them to hope for.

Just for further clarification no amount of believing will obligate God to reward us with what he has not led us to hope for. I may hope to win the lottery, but if God did not lead me to hope for that, then it is just hope born out of my desire to be rich. I may completely believe that I can and will win the lottery. However, if I did win, it wouldn’t be a reward for my faith, because God did not lead me to hope for it. Rather, it would just be a fortunate coincidence.

The author of Hebrews also says, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Hebrews11:6NASB1995  We actually please God, we make him happy when we come to him with our petitions, our wants, and desires.

In the back and forth of prayer, and it is a back and forth… you talk to God, and in your spirit, the Spirit of God talks to you, God sifts through the things you ask for and leads you to hope for the things that are in accordance with his will. Don’t worry about asking for something that is too big or too small. You will begin to realize in your spirit what God is leading you to hope for. You will be certain about the things God is leading you to hope for, just as certain that Abraham and Sarah were that God planned to give them a child. They weren’t sure when or how, but they were sure God planned to do it. God will give you that assurance too and lead you to step out in faith to respond to that hope.

In our conversations with God we are given hope. We are called to step out in faith. God is pleased when we ask, and when we respond by stepping out in faith. He rewards those who seek him and who respond to the hope he inspires by faith.

Prayer:

Almighty God, thank you for communing with me in my spirit. Help me to hear and understand the hope you are calling me to. Help me to embrace it as real as the world I see around me. Help me to overcome any hesitations I may have and step out in faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

P.S. I had originally intended to get these out each day at 4:30 AM, however that has not been the case. My apologies to those who are frustrated with the midday devotion this has turned out to be. Also, these devotions are posted on my website, https://beingachildofgod.com/. If you want to revisit any of them you can find them all there. Thank you for reading and for your encouragement!

January 26 2023 – Hebrews 4 – Our Great High Priest

In Hebrews 4, two things caught my attention. The first was when the author of Hebrews quoted David from the Psalms. “…Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Hebrews4:7NIV  I grew up in a very evangelistic tradition. We were always inviting people to be saved. I can remember hearing preachers pleading with people at the end of the service altar call. “If you hear Jesus calling you, do not pass up this opportunity… be saved today!” There was the implied and sometimes spoken idea, that the Spirit of God may not come back around to you again. You hear that idea in the song Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior.

There is something else in the words of David quoted by the author of Hebrews… the idea that we can and do harden our hearts to God. The warning is not so much that God isn’t calling, rather don’t harden your heart. That can be cherishing sin and refusing to repent or it can be as simple as hearing God’s will and saying not today. The burden of responsibility in that statement is on us. “…Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Hebrews4:7NIV

The other thing in Hebrews 4 that caught my attention is at the end of the chapter. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews4:14–16NIV

In these verses we learn than not only did Jesus pay the price for our sins, he knows exactly what we are going through when we are tempted. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way, yet without sin. When you struggle with sin, know that Jesus endured the same temptation and did not sin. He knows what you are going through because he was tempted in every way just like you.

Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit to be able to resist temptation. Because of Pentecost you have the Holy Spirit living in you. That same power that was able to deliver Jesus from temptations is available to you. When you feel overwhelmed by temptation, go to Jesus in prayer. “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews4:16NIV

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for atoning for my sins! Thank you for being able to understand and empathize with my weaknesses because you were tempted just like me. Lord help me to yield my will to you when I hear your Spirit and not harden my heart. Amen.

January 18 2023 – Leviticus 19 – Be Holy

The founder of the Methodist church, John Wesley, believed that we could become perfected in love in this life. The Wesleyan tradition places a lot of emphasis on holiness. Elders are asked at ordination if they are moving on to perfection and do they expect to achieve it in this lifetime. While not claiming we could be completely sin free (he still allowed we could sin accidentally or unintentionally), Wesley did believe that people could be perfected in love. That meant he believed a person could become so sanctified in Christ that every decision was made out of motivation to love God and others.

Even if you take the sin free aspect out of the equation it still seems like a tall order. Where in the world did he come up with such a notion? Wesley, believed that God would not have told us to do something that was impossible to do. In Leviticus 19, Moses is told by God to, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” Leviticus19:2NIV

There are some interesting things to note. 1. The instruction was for the “entire assembly of Israel.” This was not just an instruction for the Priests or Levites. This was an instruction for everyone. 2. It was not optional. There were no qualifiers like, “if you feel like it,” or “if you can,” added. 3. We are to be holy because God is Holy. We are to be like God. When God became man and dwelt among us, that gave us an even more specific example. We are to be like Jesus.

Holiness is the goal because our God is a Holy God. It is not optional. It is not just for some of us, we are all called to be holy. So how do we, mere mortals, live up to such a high calling? We are not God after all.

We are not God, but we do have God with us. “For in him [God] we live and move and have our being…” Acts17:28NIV  Not only are we in God, but God is also in us. “But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” 1 Corinthians6:17, 19NIV  We are in God and God is in us. The same God who gave us the goal of being holy, lives in us and is enabling us to do just what he commanded.

In our own strength, holiness is impossible. However, for the Holy God living in us, nothing is impossible. It is possible for us to be perfected in love in this lifetime, in as much as we depend on a perfectly Holy God to bring that about in us.

Prayer:

Holy God, thank you for your perfection. Help me to rely on you living in me to become like my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.