"Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where thye did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth....When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside." (Matthew 13:3-6;19)
Ever since I was a little kid, I've always been something of a poor listener. I remember reading old report cards, and my teachers would often comment on how disconnected I seemed to be, detached even. I always loved to read, and would do so for hours, but listening? It wasn't something I was remotely good at.
Mike from the praise band mentioned this parable on Saturday. In this portion of the parable, Jesus talks about the Word of God being ripped from the heart of the believer, before it can even be sowed and processed by our heart. That is still something I must be vigilant about, as at times I become so self-absorbed in my own concerns that I forget the absolute authority that is God's Word so it doesn't always penetrate as it should. This is especially so when I am singing praise songs, I need to consciously, with all my strength, push out all other thoughts and focus on God. Make no mistake, God's Word is alive, with a very real heartbeat! It is my prayer that our hearts beat not for ourselves, but for sake of this precious body in Christ, which is so big a treasure that sometimes our eyes cannot even put it in perspective, but settle on the things that are easier for us to visualize. This was such an awesome retreat, God is truly faithful!
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