parable

Screenshot Day 13 The Story Isn’t Over

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 13:24-30
Matthew 13:36-43
Job 1:6-12
Hebrews 4:15-16
John 16:25-33 

Screenshot, Day 13

I often hear my husband say, “Don’t put a period where God has put a comma.” 
Sometimes, I’m tempted to give up when I can’t see progress.

In ministry, it’s disheartening when someone who once followed Jesus wholeheartedly, has abandoned those ways, choosing to chase the world instead.
Especially after you’ve invested time and energy into that relationship.
I’ve been discouraged, questioning what I may have done wrong, or could have done better.  The following story of Jesus reminds me never to lose hope,
remembering that what I can see isn’t the whole story.  

Jesus tells the story of a farmer who sowed wheat in his field. In the night, an enemy came and contaminated the field with weeds.  As they both grew, it became apparent there were both weeds and wheat in the field so the servants asked the farmer if they should pull the weeds.  The farmer told them to let both grow together.
At harvest, the reapers would bind and burn the weeds, while storing the wheat safely in the barn. 

Unlike most parables, we get the benefit of Jesus’ interpretation of this one.
Since He took the time to give its meaning, we should listen closely!

“The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 
the field is the world; 
and the good seed – these are the children of the kingdom.  
The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.  
The harvest is the end of the age and the harvesters are angels.  
Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all who cause sin and those guilty of lawlessness.  They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom.  
Let anyone who has ears listen”
Matthew 13:36-43 

God is the one responsible for planting the seed. 
He alone is responsible for salvation and already knows the eternally fate of every person He created. Regardless of our desire to see the ones we love and serve begin a relationship with Jesus, we do not have the power to save them.
Only Jesus does.
Certainly, we have a responsibility to share the gospel and pray for them.
Remain faithfully obedient in that task, no matter how long it takes! 
But only Jesus has the power to save.  

Evil exists in this world.
God has allowed Satan certain liberties on earth for a time, and the Enemy has not wasted his opportunities to sow weeds of Death and Destruction.
In the book of Job, Satan, intent on stealing, killing and destroying (John 10:10), is busying himself with God and His people.  After a time of roaming the earth, Satan appears before the Lord, which makes it clear that he answers to God’s authority, not the other way around.
During their conversation, God asks if Satan has considered Job, to which Satan replies, “Haven’t you placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns?”
He concluded by saying that, without all the blessings from God, Job would not be a faithful follower.  God then gives Satan permission to do whatever he desires with Job’s possessions, but not to touch Job himself.  

Nothing can come into our lives that hasn’t passed through the loving thought of our Heavenly Father.
Weeds from the Enemy are abundant in this world, 
but we are not abandoned by our Heavenly Father!
While He does not cause evil, He does allow certain things to enter our lives to refine us, grow us, and ultimately bring Him glory. (Romans 8:28)

We also must remember our Savior is not immune to our suffering.
Hebrews 4:15, teaches that Jesus knows and understands our pain for He was tempted and tried in every way as we are.
Because He has experienced our suffering, He invites us to come boldly to Him in our need!  

I have a friend with a challenging parenting situation.
She and her husband have made some tough decisions concerning their child and much pain has been involved. It’s hard to understand why they’ve had to endure such difficult circumstances and I’m sure they’ve asked “why” many times.
Just as each of us have at various points in life as well. 

My friends both serve and love God, having purposed to parent according to godly principles.  And yet, for a season, their difficulties make it appear the enemy has prevailed.

But, as my friend continually reminds, “the story is not over”.
Her hope is not in what she sees right now,
but in the One who has full authority over what is allowed to enter our lives.
She views the pain of her present situation through the lens of God’s final authority and goodness, choosing to remain faithfully committed to Him, despite the weeds growing around her.  

Jesus concludes His parable by reminding us that in the end, God wins.
Evil will be bound and burned.
God’s children will “shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom”.
What a beautiful hope we have!

Yes, my friend, weeds will grow around you, 
but be reminded, “The Story Isn’t Over!” 

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Screenshot Day 11 Hidden Talent

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 25:14-30
Romans 12:3-8
Ephesians 2:10 

Screenshot, Day 11

Growing up, I would read this parable (you know you’re supposed to read His words before mine! Get back up there and read ‘em!) and my stress level rose.
I was never one of those kids who wanted to have a lemonade stand, and I equated this parable with that concept. I always felt bad for the third person in the parable. They didn’t lose any money yet they were found wanting. (Though I agreed that a bank accruing interest was the wiser choice there!)

As I grew older, my understanding expanded beyond thinking this story was only for entrepreneurs in the Church Body. I saw how the parable incorporated literal funds and money management concepts reflecting one’s heart and priorities.
Where has money been spent? Where has money been invested?
What story does your money tell?
The parable challenged me to take what the Lord has given me and use it for His glory. This was far more about stewardship of my life than simply my finances.

But the real grit was yet to come…
This parable sprang to life in a deeper way for me when I revisited a memory from a missions trip several years ago. At the time, I found myself on the other side of the world where my cell phone wasn’t buzzing, my job wasn’t beckoning, and my ears to hear God’s voice were open. I remember the team sitting front and center at church, which was not my favorite place to be. I told the Lord I would much prefer sitting in the back where I was more comfortable.
Little did I know my complaint to Him would became the very conduit through which He conveyed a very real truth to me.
“You are hiding.”  

I didn’t hear it audibly, but my heart resonated with the statement. As I sat there pondering those three small words, a wave of humility and awareness washed over me. The Lord continued the conversation, emphasizing that He had made me for more than the back row. He did not force the issue or tell me a timeline, but He made it abundantly clear that the time would come when
I would need to choose between Him and hiding.  

As I read through the parable of the talents, this memory played vividly in my mind. I still remember the feel of the chair beneath me and the color of the stage backdrop. The emotions of that moment bubbled up inside all over again as I reflected.
The fear of realizing hiding was my comfort zone coupled with the thrill of having a purpose, and the hope of living a life that was more than my current existence, was beautifully overwhelming. 

As I remembered, the parable of the talents unfolded for me in an entirely new dimension.  

Gone were the days of the lemonade-stand-understanding.  

Gone were the thoughts about limiting its merit to finances, resources, and outcomes.  

Tears filled my eyes as my heart and mind comprehended the reality of where I was so many years ago.  

I was the buried talent.
And I was the one who had done the burying.

It has taken me some time to acknowledge the gifts the Lord has given me
and be willing to step out in them. 
I still struggle with fear, doubt, and indecision more than I care to admit.
Who am I to live this life?  

Yet, He reminds me, sometimes with the firmness of a coach and other times with the tenderness of a parent, who I am.
I am a “talent”, intended for use.
Intended for building His kingdom here and now! 

He has poured out gifts to each of us.
He has called us by name.
He has plans and purposes He desires to see us live out for His glory.
My time on this earth is not to survive and arrive at the finish line unscathed.
That would be the life of a buried talent.  

No, my purpose is to make Him known, and in the process, continually learn who I am in Him.
This adventure requires being seen and known by Him.
It requires courage and grace.
It requires more Jesus and less me.
It requires living this life with expectancy and intentionality of the next. 
What I do here impacts there.

What are the talents the Lord has given you? How are you stewarding them?
What would it look like today to invest those talents for His glory: sending an encouraging note to a friend, picking up the piece of trash on the ground, starting that blog, setting that boundary you’ve been avoiding, believing the Lord and what He says about you?

Regardless of what that looks like for you today, know it is not wasted time to serve Him and invest where He is investing. We may not see the rewards until heaven, but oh, my friend, what a glorious return they will have! 

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Screenshot Day 8 Go Get The Sheep

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 18:10-14
Jeremiah 29:11-14
John 3:16-21

Screenshot, Day 8

Imagine this: you are babysitting three children. While they all play contentedly, you go to the kitchen to prepare dinner. After you finish cooking, you set the food on the table, and call them to eat. As you round the corner into the living room, your stomach drops and panic ensues.
There are only two of the three children present.
The other is nowhere to be found.
You now begin frantically searching the house while your mind begins thinking of all possible worst case scenarios. Finally, you see a little pair of feet sticking out from under the bed. Phew!
Your heart is immediately filled with relief and joy knowing the child is safe and can now join the others who are happily eating.

A similar picture is painted in the parable of the lost sheep.
A shepherd has one hundred sheep and one is lost, which prompts the shepherd to leave the ninety-nine in search of the one.
On finding his lost sheep, he rejoices and calls his community to celebrate with him as he brings his lost one home.

As I read through this parable, Chris Tomlin’s beautiful song, Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone), comes to mind.

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found
Was blind, but now I see

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

This song so perfectly shows our Lord’s heart for us.
Like a parent searching for their lost child, or a shepherd searching for a lost sheep,
He will not stop searching for us.

He will continuously pursue the soul separated from His grace
that He might rescue them from sin and death,
lavishing us with His celebratory love of redemption and welcome!

We, each one of us.
You, me,
the girl across the street,
the man on the corner,
the pastor at church,
and the saintly ones we look up to…..
we are wretches before the Just and Righteous God.

We’ve each turned away from His grace, “become His enemies”, and “like sheep, have all gone astray.” (Romans 5:10, Isaiah 53:6)
What separates us?
Our sin.
Black, ugly, all-consuming.
Just one sin is enough to sentence us to an eternity separated from a God who is blameless, perfect, and flawlessly holy. If He were to abide with sin, He would no longer be the Holy and Righteous God.

But, oh sisters, you and I both know we have more than 1 solitary sin against us!
This is the sin that drives us away from the fold of sheep.
This is the sin that keeps us lost.

But God.
Shows His love for us in this.
While we were still sinners.
Christ died for us.

He died to bring us back.
To exchange our status from lost to found.
From shame and hiding to adored and celebrated!
He brings us back into the fold because He longs to give us hope and a future, found only in His righteousness, which He graciously gives as an exchange for our sin, made possible through the sacrificial blood offering of Jesus who took Death in our place. (Jeremiah 29:11-14, Romans 5:6-11, John 3:16-21)

Jesus left heaven, put on flesh, became one of us in order to win us back from the grip of Sin and Death.
The invitation is bold, freeing, and life-giving.
If you haven’t trusted Jesus, for your eternity, what’s holding you back?
What ties you to the identity of being lost rather than found? Is it worth it?

As believers, let this parable from the heart of God challenge us!
God has been showing me in my own life that if I am to be like Christ the Shepherd, then I must begin by throwing off all I claim as self-importance,
that Name of the Lord can reach one more person as I surrender to His ways.

We as believers get comfortable sometimes.
Too Comfortable.

We build church buildings.
And stay inside.

We open the doors.
Expecting people to come in.

But are we going out? 

Here in the Bahamas, we do baptisms differently. Instead of baptizing new believers in the church, we take baptisms to the beaches as we celebrate the sheep that is now found.
We take church outside of the walls in order to reach just one.
It is a beautiful thing.
We have been blessed with the opportunity to be open and bold about our faith unlike many of our brothers and sisters across the globe who suffer silently for their faith.
What are we doing with those freedoms?

Are we going out and getting the lost sheep?
Or are we just staying with the ninety- nine?

Staying with the ninety-nine is comfortable and easy.
Going to get the one is hard and painful.

Getting the “one” looks like fostering children from broken homes,
engaging in a ministry to regain territory from Satan,
evangelizing people that are hard to love,
baptizing on the beach,
or embracing people who are broken and hurting.
It looks like going beyond our borders.

All of these are hard to do.
They require sacrifice.
They require prayer.
They require being visible and possibly ridiculed.
They require being uncomfortable.
They require obedience to this glorious gospel by which Christ has set us free!

God’s mission is to go out and get the sheep, will you join Him?!

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Screenshot Day 6 It’s Not Fair

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 19:23-20:16
Jonah 3:1-4:4
Luke 15:20-32
Ephesians 2:1-10 

Screenshot, Day6

“It’s Not Fair!”
Anyone who has been around children for any length of time is probably very familiar with that phrase.  There is little more that is absolutely certain to frustrate a child than perceived injustice, whether it’s because someone else receives a slice of cake slightly bigger than theirs, or gets to spend a few minutes longer on a favourite activity, or simply because they have the sense that someone else is being favoured. 

As we grow up, we probably become less concerned about such meticulous fairness in small matters, but the sense of justice, and the desire to see people treated fairly, remain. 

In the parable we are studying today, that sense of justice certainly kicks in for the workers who were hired early in the day to tend the vineyards.
How can it be right that after toiling and labouring all day, others who had worked for only one hour, received the same reward?!   

It’s just not fair!
I can sympathise with the workers’ indignation.
Maybe you can too. 

So, what are we to make of this parable?  What is Jesus teaching us about the Kingdom of Heaven? Is God really being likened to an unfair landowner? 

The first thing to note is that, far from being unfair, the landowner actually pays the first workers exactly what he promised.  They agree to work for one denarius (the typical daily wage) and that is what they receive.  When the subsequent workers are hired, the landowner mentions no specific wage, but promises to pay “whatever is right.” (Matthew 20:4) 

The issue is not the landowner’s injustice to the first workers,
but his radical generosity to those who were hired later! 

“Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius?  Take what’s yours and go.  I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jealous because I’m generous?’”  (Matthew 20:13-15) 

To understand what this parable is truly all about, it’s helpful to look at the context. 
In Matthew 19, we meet a rich man who comes to Jesus seeking eternal life, but turns away after being told to sell all his possessions. 

Jesus’ disciples witness this interaction, and Peter’s response is to point out the contrast between the rich man, who is unwilling to surrender his possessions, and the disciples, who have given up their whole way of life to follow Jesus: “See, we have left everything and followed you. So, what will there be for us?”  (Matthew 19:27) 

Jesus assures Peter that anyone who has given up anything for His sake will receive far, far more in return, but He also points out that “many who are first will be last, and the last first,” (Matthew 19:30). He then tells the parable of the vineyard workers. 

As He often does, Jesus turns the world’s way of thinking on its head.
Worldly wisdom teaches that we should be rewarded according to our actions.
Those who, like Peter and the other disciples, have worked hard for the Kingdom, deserve a greater reward, but Jesus teaches that it’s all about grace. 

“For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; 
it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

That sort of radical generosity can be hard to take.
It’s often more comfortable to feel we have worked hard to earn something than it is to accept a free gift. 

It can be even harder when we see that grace extended to others,
who seem to us,
less deserving.

We see it in Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son as the wayward brother is welcomed home instead of being treated as an outcast; his hard-working brother becomes infuriated.
Again, this jealous arrogance rears its head in the reaction of Jonah to the people of Nineveh being spared. Jonah wanted grace aplenty for himself, but none for others he deemed un-worthy. 

It’s easy to fall into owning a similar attitude,
thinking we deserve more because we have worked hard for God,
or tried to live a good life.
It’s the feeling that, somehow, God owes us something for our devotion to Him.
It can feel unfair. 

But do we really want fair?
Fair is being left “dead in our trespasses.”  (Ephesians 2:1)
Fair is remaining “children under wrath.”  (Ephesians 2:3)
If we want the payment our deeds deserve: this is fair! 

I’m grateful salvation doesn’t depend on God treating us fairly,
but on His radical grace and generosity in sending Jesus to die for us. 

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!”  (Ephesians 2:4-5) 

Grace levels the playing field.
We all stand before God as equals, sinners.
He invites all to be saved, undeservingly, by grace.
He deeply loves each of us, and calls into His work.
Not in order to earn His favour or gain a reward,
but out of gratitude for the amazing grace He extends to all! 

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Screenshot Day 5 Just Keep Sowing

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 13:1-8
Mark 4:1-20
Luke 8:4-15
2 Corinthians 9:9-15 

Screenshot, Day 5

As a child, I was taught the parable of The Sower many times. I was shown the differences between varying types of soil. I learned how the soil was a metaphor for mankind’s heart condition… and how those heart conditions affect our response to the Gospel.

At first glance, our attention is caught by the sower. We see him as a farmer, tending his fields, preparing for the impending harvest. (Matthew 13:3) He diligently sows his seed, scattering each kernel to the earth.
For a long time, I perceived the sower to be a believer, just like me.
However, recently God has been showing me that He is the ultimate sower.
He is constantly seeking the harvest as He invites believers to scatter and plant the seeds.

Anyone who has spent any time gardening can attest that not every seed planted will grow. Lack of water, sunlight, proper soil…or in my case because I do not have a green thumb! Discouragement looms when our hard work doesn’t yield fruit.

If you’re anything like me, you may give up on growing that beautiful garden.
Thankfully, and contrary to my own actions, the Sower in this story doesn’t give up.
Regardless of adversity, he sows anyway.

Continuing through the story, we discover what type of ground the seeds were sown along. (Matthew 13:4) As seeds were sown, some fell along a path.
When I think about that path, I always visualize a cement sidewalk.

Hardened. Solid. Impenetrable.

The sower in our story attempted to elicit life and growth by scattering seeds of truth, but the hard heart would not accept that life.
When our hearts are cold and hardened like a cement walkway,
we may hear the Gospel,
but the walls we’ve built around us will not allow us to actually listen to that truth.
Because the message falls on our willfully deaf ears,
we allow no opportunity for the Gospel to spark change within us.

The second type of soil referenced invokes the picture of a new believer. They are on fire for the Lord, eager to become involved in every service opportunity and Bible study.
However, their fire quickly burns out, going up in smoke.
Rather than digging deep into the Word for themselves and cultivating an active and living relationship with God, they expect to be fed by sermons and community alone. (Matthew 13:5-6) Their failure to invest in a personal relationship with Jesus leaves them feeling cold and alone.

The third type of soil portrays the picture of a redeemed heart that chooses to be surrounded by unbelievers. Rather than purposefully cultivating community with other believers, they spend their time with those who do not love Jesus. Those given permission to speak into their life, speak words of death, confusion, and sin. The redeemed heart may think they are sowing seeds of their own accord, but in reality, they are weakened by the folly of those around them and they fail to see what has entangled them. (Matthew 13: 7)

The final type of soil is the one we should all long to be: a heart open and ready to receive; one which pursues growth and change through the power of God’s grace. (Matthew 13: 8)
This heart is truly eager for redemption and longs to put aside behaviors and choices of a life once lived in vain.

As I contemplate the different types of soil and how they correlate to our hearts,
I see how my own life echoes the parable of the sower.

I see a God who intentionally scattered seeds throughout my life in every stage.
I still remember when my heart was hardened to the things of God and to His Gospel.
I remember when He told me He would replace my heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26),
but I refused to allow anything He said to take root in my heart.

Yet, He never stopped sowing.
He wanted to give me a new heart!  

And one day, He did replace my heart of stone…but then I was the soil with no depth.
Rather than flourishing, I withered away because I did not pursue community or a lifestyle of digging in to the Word. I had not stored His Word in my heart, so I sinned against Him. (Psalm 119:11)

I sinned against Him with the “friends” I had. Friends who didn’t truly love God or seek to encourage godly growth. So, the seeds that had been sown, began to be choked out by thorns of negative influence. Those thorns led to sinful decisions. (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Until, finally, God broke me.
He had prepared my heart and when the seed fell, it was on good soil.
Finally, His seed produced good fruit!

The parable of the sower reminds us that if we truly want to be like Christ,
then we must be about His business.
Just as the God-boy, Jesus spoke truth in the synagogue when Mary and Joseph couldn’t find him, (Luke 2:49) we must also be ready to sow seeds when the Holy Spirit prompts us.

Just as a farmer prepares his soil for the seed, God prepares the heart to receive His truth.
We are not responsible for softening hearts; He will handle that!
Our task is to remain obedient, in step with Him, and aware of His leading, remaining ready for His use. Rather than focusing on the conditions of others’ hearts, let us remain focused on the condition of our own hearts so we are ready when He is to just keep sowing!

*Written by Audra Darville and Merry Ohler

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