In Honor of Bible Week

In honor of Bible week (Nov. 17-24, 2013), I offer a little parable I found years ago...It still rings true for me and maybe for some others, too.
          The Book: A Modern Parable of the Sower, by Margit Gratzl

There is a new book praised by many for its good writing and informative value.  Therefore, many people march to the bookstore. 

Some look at the title, leaf through the book, and put it back on the shelf.  

Some buy the book, start reading it with great enthusiasm, but get tired of it after a while and never finish it.

Others read the book from cover to cover, but due to all the other information they are bombarded with on a daily basis, forget about the book and the value of its content.

 However, some buy the book, read it with great care and commit what they read to memory, integrate it with their other knowledge, and make use of what they have learned for many years to come.

The End. Beginning.

On any given day, any one of us could be in one of these categories with our Bible reading. We have a verse pop up on our computer screen daily and let that substitute for in-depth bible study. Maybe we read on a regular basis, but don't understand what we have read. And our pride stops us from asking for help. Maybe the bible is an old and dear friend; so much so that it falls open to our favorite passages, without ever challenging us to wrestle with parts that make us squirm. Maybe we just plain don't have time to read the Bible until Sunday morning when we use the pew Bible at church.

The strength and joy of the parable of the sower, is that He keeps on sowing seeds. God doesn't discriminate about what kind of soil receives His seeds. Any effort on our part, and God more than meets us half-way. We aren't condemned for not reading the Bible, but we are abundantly blessed if we do read it on a regular basis.

Let this National Bible Week challenge you to up your game, read the book, and receive the blessings!

 

 

It always amazes me when God does something awesome. Yet, I should expect it, because God does awesome things all the time, I just don't notice it. It is truly miraculous to watch as God, the exterior decorator, redesigns the whole world with seasons. The vast array of color and shape of each leaf as it greens, changes, falls, and is reborn again in spring.
God does other awesome things too.  This past Sunday the unplanned testimony of a man in my church gave flesh to the word more than any sermon ever could. The choir director went home sick, and we sang another congregational song that went with the word, and it was just one big happy God thing last Sunday! We plan each week our sermons and songs, but we don't always get the same anointing of the Holy Spirit when the worship service rolls around. Still, God has a hand in even the worst of sermons and worship experiences if we will invite Him in, worship Him alone, and pray for the Holy Spirit to consume us with its holy fire - that powerful fire burns all the darkness, confusion and sin until al is devoured by its flames.
God does miracles in my everyday life - if I stop long enough to notice them. Today, I had a miracle - insignificant in the scheme of things - but a miracle just the same. I forgot my checkbook when I went to the doctor. I had no legal tender at all on me at the time! Normally, I have a $25 co-pay. On the way out, I was all ready to plead my case when she handed me my papers and wished me a nice day! "No co-pay?" I asked (ignoring the miraculous). "Not today," she said. One problem eliminated by a mighty God.
It's no accident that I spent much time in prayer this morning and began seeing everything as miracles. When we focus our minds and hearts on God more and more, our eyes are opened and we see more and more of God. The story of Saul's conversion in the book of Acts demonstrates this quite dramatically. Saul is struck blind by his encounter with God. God sends a man named Ananias to lay hands on him and pray for him. As Ananias prays, "..instantly, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he regained his sight." (Acts 9:18 NLT)
I'm convinced that we are all blinded at times. Sometimes its the rush of life around us. Sometimes its deadlines and kids and church and work and school and the pets and.......all the stuff we use as a means to give our time away. But when we choose God first, keep our daily appointment with him sacrosanct, then our eyes are opened to his grace and love. We see the world through his eyes, and we are changed in the seeing.
Yes, it always amazes me when God does something awesome. I hope it always will.

It's Harvest Time

I love all the symbols of fall. I like the leaves changing color. The pumpkins, gourds and squash are plentiful (yum!).  It gets dark earlier and stays dark longer. There's a crispness to the air. Everything around me changes, and it's a change I know is coming. When I lived in southern California, the seasons never felt like anything changed. I missed the definite arrival of fall, winter, spring and summer.
One of the hallmarks of autumn is the harvest. Today we can buy anything anytime because of agribusiness, but there was a time when the harvest was a big deal. It was accompanied by bonfires, barn dances and hay rides. A good harvest meant a good year for the farmer. He would be able to live in relative security until the next harvest. I have seen the big hay bales by the road where some farmers are still able to "harvest" and share their crops.  Matthew  9:35-38 says

³⁵ Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. ³⁸ So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

I find all kinds of good news in this passage. First, there are so many today that are turning away from the church. We call them the de-churched. There are also many who've never set foot in a church. We label them the un-churched. Labels and names do nothing to further the cause of Christ. He told us AHEAD OF TIME that there was going to be a crowd that was confused and helpless "like sheep without a shepherd." He had compassion of them. So, I understand this to mean it's my job to have compassion for people who don't know where to go for help and understanding in their lives. That's easy to do. I've had times in my life when I was confused and helpless, and there are so many saints that have held my hand all the way through that I can't count them all! They gave themselves as God's agents to bring me through the dark times of my life. I know it works! I can share from my own experiences. Good news is - I can do what Jesus asks - I can care for the lost.
Next, the good news is that I don't go into the field alone. Jesus acknowledges "The harvest is great, but the workers are few." So when we feel like we're swimming upstream in sharing the gospel, it means we're doing something right! There are few of us, and for the first time in the history of America, Christians are fast becoming a minority. SO - "PRAY TO THE LORD WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE HARVEST; ASK HIM TO SEND MORE WORKERS..."
Finally, this passage says to me that no program, or sermon, or bible study or newspaper article will "fix" this situation in which we find ourselves. We are waist-deep in a harvest and tired and scared and can't or won't see beyond where we are right now. We let the overwhelming harvest control our thoughts and actions instead of listening to and praying to the LORD of the harvest. He never tells us we have to do it all. He tells us to PRAY for help. And not just to pray for help, but also to pray for more workers. It is our job to pray. And pray. And then to pray some more. Until the Lord of the harvest shines the brilliance of his harvest moon of glory on us, and gives us the instructions on how He's going to handle this harvest.
This week as you go through you day-to-day life, each time you are reminded of the harvest, stop and pray for more workers to join you in the field.

"All the flowers of all our tomorrows are in the seeds of today." Robert H. Schuller