Verse of the Day 12/14

Through the Bible -Amos 4-6, Revelation 7

 

Good morning,

Last week we looked at Proverbs 4 and considered the following verses.

Prov 4:20 My child, pay attention to what I say.
Listen carefully to my words.
21 Don't lose sight of them.
Let them penetrate deep into your heart,  NLT

We ate to pay close attention to God's Word, listen carefully, keep them in front of us and let, allow them, to penetrate "deep into" our hearts.

Those words were still fresh enough in my mind to stick out when I read the parable of the soils later in the week.

 

For today's verses we'll go to Matthew 13 where we see what happens in this parable when the seed, God's Word, was not allowed to penetrate, to take hold, deep in the heart.

 

Matt 13:20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word.  NLT.

 

We won't have deep roots if we don't allow God's word to penetrate into our heats.  John MacArthur writes, "When superficial hearers first hear the gospel they have a euphoric religious experience, believing at last that God has met their felt needs.  They are often zealous and energetic in church activities and eager to tell others about their new happiness.

For the superficial hearer, God's truth has only penetrated the edge of the mind, but not the heart.  That is why, when the high cost of salvation does not confront the person, the gospel can quickly be renounced as it was once seemingly accepted.  Spiritual reality has no root and thus can't produce true spiritual fruit, which, as Jesus soon makes clear, is the only sure evidence of a transformed life."

 May we do like the author of Proverbs tells us, to keep His Word before us, pay attention to it, let it penetrate deep in your heart so that it springs forth in your actions.  If we do so, it will produce fruit in our lives as we see in the concluding verses from the passage in Matthew 13.

Matt 13:23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."   NKJV

 

Blessings,
Mike

mikevw@bellsouth.net
mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Matt 13:18-24

The Parable of the Sower Explained
(Mark 4:13-20; Luke 8:11-15)

18 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  19 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.  20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;  21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."   NKJV