“WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM LIFE IN GOD’S SERVICE OF OUR FAITHFULNESS?” 4-11-17

"The Bible tells us clearly how God would have us exercise our faithfulness and to trust Him to be with us through any such hardships, even when nothing seems to be going the way we thought it would, we need to be confident it will happen as we know God has told us.

“The sower and the soils” is the parable Jesus told of the various types of stages people can miss out on their salvation, which is written in (Matthew 13; Mark 4 ; Luke 8), “A farmer set off to sow some seed on his land.  He threw it in huge sweeps, and as he did so, some fell onto the well-trodden path on which he was walking.  Almost as soon as the seed bounced on the hard ground, hungry birds swooped down and ate it.

Other seed fell on rocky patches with just a thin covering of soil.  The plants grew quickly at first, but soon shrivelled up, because their short roots could not find enough water to protect them from the scorching sun.

Some seeds landed among thorns that choked the young plants.

Others however, fell on rich soil and gave rise to thirty, sixty or a hundred times the crop.”

“Jesus concluded, “Whoever hears my words, let them hear with understanding.”

“Master,” His disciples then asked Him, “what does this parable mean?”

“Jesus replied, “The seed that was sown along the path is like a person who listens to the message of the Kingdom of God, but does not understand it.  The devil comes and plucks away what has been sown in that person’s heart.

The seed that landed on the rocky soil is like someone who gladly listens to the message and is full of joy.  But without any roots it is impossible to last.  As soon as any form of difficulty or trouble comes, all enthusiasm is lost and the person falls away.

The seed that fell among the thorns is like the person who hears the Word, but is suffocated by the worries and concerns of this life and is unable to produce any fruit.

Lastly, the seed that fell on productive soil is like the person who hears and understands the message.  That person then produces a crop thirty, sixty or a hundred times what was originally sown.”

This account Jesus’ gives, is to awaken our understanding that, it is by faith alone that we are saved, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, nor of works, lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV).  This then is how we should live in faith at all times, even when nothing is going the way we thought things would be for us now, we must keep our faith fully immersed in Jesus, and not our circumstances, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16), and that’s where our faith lies alone, and never on our standards due to the circumstances which may arise to entrap us to give up our faith and our salvation here now, and through to eternity with Jesus who is our faith in all things made possible to us when nothing seems to be working out as we believed would happen.”