I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!
Galations 2:20-21
Knitting Socks
at least trying! pj's for all American Girl Doll clothes and bedding curtains, tablecloths and chair covers for the schoolroom, eating nook and sewing room
~ Family Read Alouds~
Danger!
~Blessings~
~Join the Fun~
Apr. 27, 2008~ Mark 4:3-8 ~
I am studying the parable of the seeds right now. You know the one, about the seed falling on good soil or bad soil. It is Mark 4:3-8 if you want to check it out. I know that most of us have heard this over and over. I know that most of us think that Jesus was talking about the saved and the unsaved. Maybe he was. But maybe he was talking about Christians.
We should be hearing God's voice. If we are a Christian then this should be the norm- not the out of ordinary.
Several things that could hinder us in hearing Gods voice-
1. Attitude- I must repeat that ATTITUDE- sorry I was yelling. Can this issue get any bigger??
We need to have an attitude that is eager and receptive to hearing God. We should have our ears tuned in to hearing His voice, His whisper. This means that we need to cultivate an open mind to Christ.
A pastor of mine once said that he trained his children to not wander farther than they could hear his whistle. And when he whistled he expected them to come running. He can whistle very loud and he used this to call his children to his side when they were in the neighborhood playing. He would only whistle once. His children's ears were tuned to hearing their father's calling, even while being occupied elsewhere.
Is this just the greatest illustration of how we should be tuned to hearing God(our Father) speak to us (His children)
The soil in the parable is my heart and mind. Is my heart and mind cultivated to receive the voice of God?
Why can't I hear God? Is my soil good? Or is it like the hardened path that the seeds fell on? Those paths walkways, everyone used them to get from one field to another. The more space for the path the less area could be planted so these were very narrow. Because they were so hardened and trampled down the seeds would fall and stay on top. The birds would be able to easily pick up the seeds and carry them off. The poor were able to come along and gather any that they found on the path without disturbing the fields that were prospering.
Pride the definition is- arrogance, a sense of superiority, an I don't need you attitude?
I am bigger than YOU.
Fear- afraid God will request things that I am not able/willing to give. Psalm 118:6
Fear of losing a lifestyle, $$$, our pride. Fear of our inadequecies.
Bitterness- this shuts everyone out. This is a cancer that causes death to our souls. Resentfulness.
Is my soil like those of the rocky places? These were bedrocks of limestone. Very shallow soil- like a shallow heart/mind.
Could this be those mountain top experiences we can sometimes have? Like when we were in youth group and we would go to camp. It lasted about a week and we were going to change our lives forever. We were going to have a devotion every day, pray morning and night, do some of those little rituals that would remind us of how our hearts had been touched...One maybe two weeks later it was all forgotten. This is shallow soil. Hearts and minds that are not used to hearing Gods voice that hear Him briefly yet do not have the focus to follow through. No roots.
How can we get roots? Roots that are deep and healthy?
Set aside time.
Slow down- spend time with God. Allow Him to teach us. Work on our commitment to God.
Eliminate distractions- Is your quiet time in front of the TV? Is it only half hearted because your mind is really making lists of things you should be doing? Get off somewhere new, unfamiliar. Close your eyes. If you fall asleep don't worry. God spoke to many an Old Testament guy in dreams. When you wake up spend some awake time with Him, you were probably just over tired.
I have so much more that I have been learning. I will share more later, you have a great day!
Here is a parting thought.
Don't let your distractions be your weeds. Choking out the time for God. By the way, choke means to suffocate and strangle.
Practice hearing Gods voice. Do one thing this day that will enhance the soil of your soul forever to be able to hear Him clearer.
Remember, as children of God it should be the norm. to hear your Father's voice.
Thank you for listening to God Pastor Terry Marrow. God truly speaks to me through you!
We are a family of 9. We have home schooled since 1990. Our oldest 3 have graduated and are off on their own. So now we have a 10th,8th,6th and 4th grader. Our main goal as we have walked this path for a while now is to have a strong tight bond with our children and to have them love the Lord. We enjoy various ways of schooling mainly sticking to a Charlotte Mason path. I guess something that God has taught us through our journey is that we need to be grounded in what we know is true, yet flexible enough to grow in order to not be broken by winds of change.Until I figure out how to get pictures on here you can check us out at www.photobucket.com under garringer9 ---enjoy!
