Matthew 13:1-9
that same day Jesus went out of the ouse and sat by the lake. such a large croud gathered round Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. the He told them many things in parables, saying: a farmer went out to sow his seed. as he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path and the birds came and ate it up. some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. it sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and they withered because they had no root. other seed fell among the thorns, which grew up and chocked the plants. still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop - a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. he who has ears, let him hear.
there are many many differing ways that we can and do listen to people. sometimes we multitask, and can be only half listening. sometimes what is said we do not quite fully comprehend, or it simply does not reach our memory and our understanding. sometimes we can and do listen to someone with our whole attention and enthusiasm, but we fail to act upon what has been said. sometimes we listen, some times we understand and sometimes we act upon this comprehension.
is this the same in our conversation with God as it is in our conversations with fellow people?
for does this parable not show the differing types of listening to Gods word that we could do, and the differing ways we can and do act upon His word. as we know our Lord is always with us, whether we are busy or still; and He is every welcome of joining with ourselves in conversation. this could be a quick chat whilst busy, or the times in worship in our churches, it matters not to the Lord He wants and welcomes our times with Him.
we need however to be able to spend true quality time with our Lord, just like we need and should spend true quality time with our husband or wife and with our children; for it is in this quality time that we share with our loved ones that we truly discover them and can help them and they can help us.
so it is with our Lord, when we spend this true time with Him that we deepen our relationship with Him. in this deeper relationship when we listen and discover to we find true meanings, both of Christ, His love and His word but also of His plan for our life; including the way we are to live and the love we are to share.
to have this quality time, we need to have no distractions we need to be with God at the centre; with complete and undivided attention. putting Him and His word as the focus not allowing His word and His love to 'fall along the path' not allowing our own preoccupations, concerns and worries to become the weeds that will choke this message. for when we listen to His word, really listen, and allow this to have an impact on our lives it will affect our hearts and minds, our attitudes and behaviour and will then whose words will bear fruit in our lives.
for myself this time has to be one of solitude, solitude from the world. a time od quiet, without televisions, telephones, and computers. with nothing apart from my time with the Lord, armed with patience and a pen and paper. this i know is not easy in this world we live with all its concerns and time consuming passions, and the family always likes to try and interfere, but time alone with God only is something i need and crave for daily.
Lord i know Your words are spirit and that they are life. teach me dear Lord to grasp them, to hold them and to act upon them in the way You set forward for myself. for if Your words reach into my life, into my mind, my heart, my memory, my will, my whole being then there will be real fruit in my life with the true love You bring in my life. teach me then Lord to listen to You so that Your words and Your love can mould and shape my life. may they produce within me the good rich soil so that through my life it may for You produce a crop of some hundred, some sixty, some thirty.
amen
God bless
scrappy
that same day Jesus went out of the ouse and sat by the lake. such a large croud gathered round Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. the He told them many things in parables, saying: a farmer went out to sow his seed. as he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path and the birds came and ate it up. some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. it sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and they withered because they had no root. other seed fell among the thorns, which grew up and chocked the plants. still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop - a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. he who has ears, let him hear.
there are many many differing ways that we can and do listen to people. sometimes we multitask, and can be only half listening. sometimes what is said we do not quite fully comprehend, or it simply does not reach our memory and our understanding. sometimes we can and do listen to someone with our whole attention and enthusiasm, but we fail to act upon what has been said. sometimes we listen, some times we understand and sometimes we act upon this comprehension.
is this the same in our conversation with God as it is in our conversations with fellow people?
for does this parable not show the differing types of listening to Gods word that we could do, and the differing ways we can and do act upon His word. as we know our Lord is always with us, whether we are busy or still; and He is every welcome of joining with ourselves in conversation. this could be a quick chat whilst busy, or the times in worship in our churches, it matters not to the Lord He wants and welcomes our times with Him.
we need however to be able to spend true quality time with our Lord, just like we need and should spend true quality time with our husband or wife and with our children; for it is in this quality time that we share with our loved ones that we truly discover them and can help them and they can help us.
so it is with our Lord, when we spend this true time with Him that we deepen our relationship with Him. in this deeper relationship when we listen and discover to we find true meanings, both of Christ, His love and His word but also of His plan for our life; including the way we are to live and the love we are to share.
to have this quality time, we need to have no distractions we need to be with God at the centre; with complete and undivided attention. putting Him and His word as the focus not allowing His word and His love to 'fall along the path' not allowing our own preoccupations, concerns and worries to become the weeds that will choke this message. for when we listen to His word, really listen, and allow this to have an impact on our lives it will affect our hearts and minds, our attitudes and behaviour and will then whose words will bear fruit in our lives.
for myself this time has to be one of solitude, solitude from the world. a time od quiet, without televisions, telephones, and computers. with nothing apart from my time with the Lord, armed with patience and a pen and paper. this i know is not easy in this world we live with all its concerns and time consuming passions, and the family always likes to try and interfere, but time alone with God only is something i need and crave for daily.
Lord i know Your words are spirit and that they are life. teach me dear Lord to grasp them, to hold them and to act upon them in the way You set forward for myself. for if Your words reach into my life, into my mind, my heart, my memory, my will, my whole being then there will be real fruit in my life with the true love You bring in my life. teach me then Lord to listen to You so that Your words and Your love can mould and shape my life. may they produce within me the good rich soil so that through my life it may for You produce a crop of some hundred, some sixty, some thirty.
amen
God bless
scrappy
of 
