31 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Stony Places" Matthew 13:5-6

31 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Stony Places" Matthew 13:5-6

Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. (Matthew 13:5-6)

Here in Weeksville, NC where I live, the ground is very sandy and one doesn't find many rocks. One can dig not very far, maybe a foot or two, and find water. One will not find many rocks under the soil, either- except perhaps for some bits of shell. We are at sea-level and where I live is less than a mile from the Albemarle Sound. But where my mother lives in West Virginia it is a different story. Hard clay, shale, and limestone composes the mixture of the soil there. I have broken many shovels and pick-axes digging in the dirt up there. Mineral deposits of all kinds reside in the earth, giving a horrible after taste to the drinking water and it has to be treated with expensive chemicals. It is somewhat difficult to till the soil for her garden, much less try to get anything to grow up there. When I read this part of the parable, I thought of the stony soil of that Mountain State.

Jesus relates not only the principles of agriculture but also the condition of some people's hearts concerning the message of the Gospel. Last time I looked at the wayside and how hard-packed it was, unfit to receive the seed to the point that the birds of the air would swoop down to devour it. The stony ground, if it can be plowed and broken up, will receive the seed but to a point. This type of soil is somewhat different than the soil I just described. There is a thin layer of topsoil, but a hard layer of rock beneath It. It can grow some plants but because of the shallow soil, the plants are unable to build a good root system to get much water or nourishment from the soil around it. The wind blows away the soil around the shallow roots, and the rain erodes it, exposing the roots to the sun and thus killing off the plants. This type of soil is comparable to the stony hearts of many we would consider skeptics or those naturally so devoid of faith; unwilling to trust anything they cannot see or comprehend through reason or logic. But even a stony heart can be touched given enough patience and love. Even so, it often does not take much for that ground to erode through the hardness and difficulties of life to the point that it goes back to its skeptic ways again. Their spiritual roots simply do not go deep enough to deal with the hardships and trials of life.

All of us will at some point experience hardship and tragedy in life. Deep roots of faith are essential if we want to get through them and have something to encourage others who will undoubtedly go through the same things. If we find ourselves in shallow soil, we need to keep cultivating the soil so that our roots will go down deeper. Once they are there, nothing can pull us from it.

How deep do your roots of faith go? Is it one full of stony places? You will find out how deep they are the moment you begin to weather the storms in life. Hopefully you will find out before this happens, and the time to begin to cultivate that soil is not when the storm happens, but right now while the sun is still shining.

Have a blessed day!

25 January 2011 Devotion for Today "The Wayside" Mark 4:3-4

25 January 2011 Devotion for Today "The Wayside" Mark 4:3-4

3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air[a] came and devoured it. (Mark 4:3-4)

Have you ever been "way-laid?." This figure of speech means to be unexpectedly detained or delayed- usually by a person who decides to take interest in you at the most inopportune moment or to speak to you when you have to hurry off and get to a pressing engagement. Its an uncomfortable feeling because, at least with me- I do not wish to be perceived as being rude to the one who has taken the time to speak with me- neither do I wish to be harried or late for my engagement. Sometimes it happens and I cannot focus on the conversation because there are other things on my mind. It has nothing to do with them; it is me. I remember one such incident where it was imperative that I find the "facilities" before I got up to preach. I do not wish to seem crass at this point, only to seek empathy from a reader who has been in that situation. This individual saw me coming before I saw them, and then cornered me before I could duck down the hallway. They kept talking to me about this and that- "oh and did you know that Mrs. So and So got an infection in that toenail and now has to have it operated on?" and on and on they went and I'm thinking: "I would love to be able to stand here and talk to you but I am going to have to change my sermon to Jesus Walking on the Water" or "My Cup Runneth Over!"

I strike this up to my sheer lack of character at this point, but If some one wants to relay details of a very important matter and I'm getting ready to start a worship service, I cannot always retain it. If someone gives me something to look at or to read over before that same time- you may count on it descending into the black hole of oblivion. I wish that I had the ability to retain better than this but alas, I do not. It is hard because I hate to disappoint people and have them think less of me for all the time they took to invest in me at a moment of convenience for them. I call this moment the wayside- a situation not too unlike what Jesus recounts for us in His Parable of the Sower.

In this passage he discusses the sower going out to sow seed. The seed, as Christ explains later, is the seed of the gospel. Some of the seed will, as a matter of consequence, fall on the wayside. The wayside is the road or the path along the field where the seed is to be sown. The wayside has not be broken up or ploughed and not suitable soil for the seed to be planted. It is firmly packed and virtually impenetrable. As the farmer, or sower, goes to scatter the seed from his seed bag, some of that seed is going to spill out as a matter of consequence. Some of this seed will fall from his hands and land on the ground Jesus calls the wayside.

Does this mean that Christ, as the sower, is careless about the expensive seed of the gospel to the point of allowing it to fall on unfertile ground? No. He tells us this to help us understand that everything we do in sharing the gospel message is going to have some "spill-over" effect because of how we impact the world around us. In some places, the ground is hard and just not prepared to receive the message just yet. But just because the birds come along and eat it does not necessarily mean that the seed is wasted. The birds in this parable represent the world or worldly ideas that have some ability to consume the gospel message. These birds will always follow any enterprise where the gospel message is being preached or sown just as a flock of birds will follow a tractor tilling or planting farmland. I have seen birds eat sunflower seeds and then carry them away. Through their droppings they excrete the seed and allow it to fall in other places where no farmer could ever reach. I have seen whole fields of sunflowers sprout up this way, usually around the tree lines at the edges of fields where other crops grow. It has done them some good even if only passed through their digestive tract to benefit somewhere else.

Going back to the wayside and being way-laid- even those moments and encounters are not altogether unfruitful. I have had some say to me years later- "Preacher something that you said to me really encouraged me! I really appreciate you taking time out to speak with me and I know that you must have been in a hurry but what you said changed my life!" Not that this has happened very often, but it causes me to think that God can make more of those moments than we think. Since I heard this recently I will be more determined than ever to guard my spirit for special moments like these and to make the most of them for God. And I will determine to make more of an effort to take care of business and to anticipate those moments before they come. God can use them, no matter how insignificant.

What wayside moments have you experienced today? If you have not, make more of an effort to look for them. You may find that they were more God-appointed than you think!

Have a blessed day!

24 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Parable of the Sower" Mark 4: 1-9


1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:

3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air[a] came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mark 4:1-9)





Last week I reflected on a series of meditations of the Parable of the Mustard Seed, but this week I would like to also reflect upon the parable which probably inspired it: Jesus' Parable of the Sower. Like the Parable of the Mustard Seed, it too is found in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and is told with some variation in all three books. For today, I just want to relay some background to this and other parables.



In this gospel, Jesus taught such a great crowd of people beside the sea (a multitude) that He needed to innovate in order to speak loud enough to be heard by them. He pushed a small boat out to the water so that he could speak to them. Remember that Jesus is God. He knew about the principles of physics and acoustic thousands of years before churches began installing expensive audio equipment into their sanctuaries. This also shows us that Jesus was not above innovation or doing some unusual things to enable the Word to be heard. He did not focus upon the innovation, however- or use it to impress others. This was only incidental to getting His teaching heard by those who had come out hungry to hear it. What is more, Jesus did not speak academically or pompously above their heads. Jesus spoke directly to the people with colorful illustrations and stories that they could understand. But He did not insult their intelligence and He challenged them in ways that broadened their understanding and appealed to their growing rational abilities.



This is why Jesus often taught in parables. The word parable is from the Greek language parabola, meaning- "that which is placed beside in comparison". Parables were also used as an innovation to translate all kinds of thoughts so that they could be grasped by a world that was mostly illiterate in a manner in which most people could never forget. But Jesus' parables also required understanding that came by the illumination by the Holy Spirit. The people who understood them not only grasped the principles in their minds, but the Holy Spirit allowed them to take root in their hearts. This was what caused the parables to come to come alive, and translated them not only into facts but into life.



The one statement at the end of this, as well as many of Jesus' other parables sums it up for all of us: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Mark 4:9) Its obvious that Jesus was not only speaking to the fact that most people have two ears or a natural hearing apparatus. Your hearing may be working just fine, but the thing that causes most people not to hear is because of their inattention to what is being said to them. This is usually because they are distracted by other thoughts that they think are more important than what they are listening to or that they are filtering what's being spoken by their own perspective or circumstances of life. In other words, they are hearing, but not listening.



I hope that this week you will be listening. You may not be hearing my audible voice as I write to you today, but you can listen with your heart. A person who is physically deaf has this capability as well as is even more keenly perceptive than most in order to compensate for what he cannot physically hear. I hope that this will be the case for you as well. Until tomorrow, keep your ears- and your heart- open for God to speak to you.



Have a blessed day!



20 January 2011 Devotion for Today "The Birds of the Air" Mark 4: 30-32

20 January 2011 Devotion for Today "The Birds of the Air" Mark 4: 30-32


Not long ago I parked my car in the driveway at the home of my inlaws; my wife's parents home. It was dark when I parked it there, but the next morning I discovered my car speckled all over with bird droppings from these wonderful creatures who live way up in the tall pines above their home. It was a mild irritation because I had just had the car washed. I knew I would have to drive it around everywhere before I had a chance to wash it again. I find it unpleasant to be seen in a car like that. As I entered my car, I could hear the cackles and calls of the birds above me. Adding insult to injury, I think that they are crows, and they sounded as if they were almost laughing at me! Of course, I knew that they were not, but my sensitivity to the situation made it seem so.


Again, meditating on Jesus' Parable of the Mustard Seed. In this text, as well as in Matthew and Lukes' gospels, Jesus is expounding on seeds. This parable seems to be an offshoot or spin-off of the Parable of the Sower. It is told almost as a side-bar to the Sower parable. A side-bar is a related topic of interest that relates to it, and although it is usually not the central focus, sometimes takes on a life of its own.


However it is regarded, the mustard seed parable is still a very powerful story. I have already examined the tiny speck which can yield tremendous results, and the great shade produced by its branches. What I wish to examine now are those birds which roost in the branches of the tree which are produced by that tiny little mustard tree.


Some commentators judge the birds as large birds like vultures or eagles, or judge them as demons or evil forces as they are regarded in the earlier Parable of the Sower. They are seen sometimes as pests. It reminds me of the old fable of birds making nests in someone's hair. However, these birds are not necessarily given the same meaning. They are rather side-bars themselves that could be seen as giving something useful or positive to the tree. In other words, the birds are a good thing, and they are not all "dirty birds!" They contribute to the spreading of the seed by eating it and pollinating it elsewhere. God provides for the birds in the same way from the mustard tree by giving them food and a place to build their nests. They are not pests at all; for the birds and the tree benefit from each other just as God does with so many things in His wonderful creation.


When we spread our branches out in faith, people will be attracted to us and may come from a considerable distance. Don't regard them as pests, either. They will grow and learn from you, but they will also nurture others from you, and their influence will grow and emanate from and through you. This is a good thing and will demonstrate that God is working richly in Your life. The "birds" may eventually move on and make room for others, but you will be better off for the fact that they spent some time with you.


What people have you influenced for Christ because of the faith that was nurtured in your life? Meditate today about the birds however they appear in your life, and thank God for them.


Have a blessed day!

19 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Day of Small Things?" Luke 13:18-19

19 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Day of Small Things?" Luke 13:18-19

18 Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.” Luke 13:18-19

About eight years ago now we returned from our ministry in Europe to fit back into the American way of life. We lost no time in doing so, but many things about our lifestyle in Europe we retained. One of them was punctuality: the Germans, with whom we lived, are known for their precision and being meticulous- especially about time and being on time. They say over there that if you are on time, you are late. Another thing to adjust to was free drink refills, as well as the portions and size of meals. An all-you-can eat buffet type of place is virtually unheard of and in some cases, distasteful to the European mind-set. It is wasteful and even obscene in the European's mind. Another mindset that we are slowly changing is attitude toward recycling refuse and waste products. We would get one trash can per type of waste product that was dumped only once a month. And if you missed the trash pick-up, that was too bad.

By far the most significant thing to get readjusted to in American life was the sheer size of things such as automobiles and refrigerators and other household appliances. This is changing a little bit here in America but European automobiles are much smaller. Our big SUV's don't fit the roads well over there, plus the sheer cost of gasoline in Europe dictates smaller engines and size of vehicles. Even though we complain about the rising cost of gas, we still drive our Hummers and our Ford Expeditions. Europeans have tiny refrigerators- about the size of a college student's, and they shop several times a week where we Americans go to the Price Club, Sam's or some other bulk or wholesale grocery outlet and pile it into our SUV once a month to carry home. You get the idea. Americans still do things in a big way, make a huge splash, draw attention to their lifestyles probably because it relates to how they wish to see themselves. In our minds, big is associated with significance. The larger car or house we own, the greater we feel our significance might be.

Because of the economic slowdown in the past few years, some of this is changing. And while I lost little time fitting back into my American lifestyle, there were many things about the European lifestyle I still admire. But sometimes we have the tendency in America to overlook little things just because they don't demand or draw much attention to themselves. AS I've been reflecting on Christ's Parable of the Mustard Seed the past few days, the Spirit has caused me to focus more on the smaller things that are growing and taking root around me.

Seeds of faith, for example, that are being planted in people's hearts. Sometimes, like the mustard seed, you can't even see them or even see the results of them right away. The more time taken to cultivate and fertilize them, the more that they will grow. We ought never to discount what God is doing in someone's life; even if we cannot see a change in their attitude right now. Some of the most vibrant Christians I know now were also some of the toughest "nuts to crack." In this parable, Christ tells us not to equate His work always in terms of big results and significant change. Like the large branches that appear in the mustard tree, this will occur in time, but not right away. Big does not always mean better. And where God is working, dare I say it, size does not always matter.

What areas in your life do you see growing, but not very much right now. Do not be discouraged. Keep at it. Zechariah tells us not to despise the day of small things. The Psalmist also tells us we will reap if we do not give up. Give it a chance to work, and keep on cultivating what you know God wants to grow in your life. It may reap only a small harvest at first, but keep doing it. Before you know it, it will reap a hundredfold to the point you do not have room to hold it all.

Have a bless day!

18 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Mustard Seed Faith, Part II" Mark 4:30-32

18 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Mustard Seed Faith, Part II" Mark 4:30-32


30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” Mark 4:30-32


Several years ago while living in Germany, I was a passenger on a shuttle bus going to the Frankfurt Airport. I was sitting near the front, close to the driver and front windshield. The shuttle bus was involved in a minor accident. A car in another lane was crossing several other lanes of traffic, trying desperately to merge into the lane our bus was in; side-swiping us as it tried to lurch ahead of us. The bus driver slammed on the breaks trying not to hit the vehicle again. The driver of the other car exited her vehicle and became angry and animated. Our driver got out and began inspecting the damage done to his shuttle. Within a few moments, the police arrived; taking statements from both drivers, as well as the passenger in the other vehicle. The police climbed aboard and took a statement from me. However, the police found the driver of the shuttle bus at fault. I surmised it was because he was Turkish and I was an American and the driver and the other passenger were German. A sad reality but what we had here was one incident, but four different stories. When I questioned the Polizei officer writing the Turkish bus driver the citation, he said in German: "In every accident there are several viewpoints: what you say happened, what they say happened, what you would like to think happened, and what really happened!" I suppose he was correct on that statement. Everyone told the truth (I hoped) as they saw the situation- but the facts of all four stories were not quite the same.


This Scripture is a variation of the one I shared with you yesterday from Matthew 13. The differences in the telling of these two parables seems slight and has more to do with emphasis than it does contributing facts. However, unlike the incident of the bus crash I told above, the varying facts in the telling of this parable from three different writers do not change the truth of it. First of all, Matthew speaks of an actual person physically taking the seed and planting it in a field- as a deliberate act; whereas Mark gives the impression that the mustard seed's presence was incidental- as if it were scattered and laying on the ground rather than planted deliberately in the earth. Luke's gospel also tells of a man who takes the mustard seed and puts it in his garden: a fact that both Luke, Mark, and Matthew do not tell us about the ownership of this plot of ground- that it belongs to the one actually doing the planting.


Also, the writers emphasize the growth of the mustard seed in several different ways. One speaks of the large branches where another just focuses on the tree itself. Still another highlights the fact that the birds come and rest in the shade which the branches produce- a fact that the other two parables leave out.


What is the point that I am drawing out here? First of all, as God conveys truth through the inspiration of His Word through the Gospel writers, He shows us that God's truth about some things is so much greater than what one man can convey alone. Secondly, the total Truth is greater than the sum of the facts combined. Thirdly, while the facts are important, it is what we do with what we know that truly matters. Who cares about how one writer talks about branches and another talks about shade? It doesn't if our faith does not grow which is the point of this parable which three writers recorded Jesus teaching.


As I leave you today, please reflect upon these questions. What difference does the fact of trusting in Jesus Christ make in your life? Has your faith grown significantly as a result? What impact is it making in the world around you? Does your faith provide something encouraging and desirable for others?


Have a blessed day!

17 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Mustard-Seed Faith" Matthew 13:31-32

17 January 2011 Devotion for Today "Mustard-Seed Faith" Matthew 13:31-32

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Matthew 13:31-32

Not long ago I visited an old house in West Virginia that was familiar to my childhood and teenage years, but I place that I have not visited in well over thirty years. The first thing that struck me was how dilapidated it was. The memories I had of its occupants was that they were meticulous housekeepers and fixer-uppers. They would be very disappointed to see the condition of this old house now if they were still living. But the thing that struck me the most was how small the place actually was. For some reason, I remembered this house much larger. It was a modest home even then, but it is strange how things look larger to you as a child than what they actually are. I stood there looking at the place thinking, "Was it always this size, or did I remember it being much larger?"

The Lord has impressed upon me lately the need for my faith to grow. I can remember times when my faith in Him was much greater than it seems to be now. Or is it that I have no less faith than I ever did, but the size of the problems, combined with the wearing down of one's spirit with age, seems to make the obstacles in my life much larger than I remember them being. Perhaps my capacity or confidence for allowing God to do great things through my faith was greater then. Either way, God is showing me that my faith and confidence in Him needs to be greater than the obstacles, problems, and difficulties I see around me.

This is what I see in the parable presented to me today. A mustard seed is a tiny little seed; not much larger than a speck. It can be easily blown away by a puff of wind or a sneeze. However, the mustard seed is remarkable not because of its size, but because but its capacity to grow. Christ tells us that while it is one of the smallest seeds, the tree which it produces is among the largest to be found in the region where he lived in Palestine- a tree so large that the birds of the air (meaning, very large birds like vultures and eagles) see in it an easy place to light their feet.

So is our faith. Everyone is given some faith or has some faith in some capacity. Now that faith might not be in the right things or in the right Person, but no one can deny how much that small faith can grow into things which most would seem to be impossible.

I will be reflecting on this parable a few more times this week. But until next time, reflect or analyze the size or better yet, the condition of your faith. Is it run-down from the stress, disappointment, and heartache that you have experienced over the years? You may have imagined it much larger years ago than it is now. If this is the case it has the capacity to grow into something greater than what you see at this time. It all depends upon the vision of your focus. You may see a tiny little mustard seed- but if that is all that you see, it will be easily blown away by the first difficulty it confronts. But if your mind's eye is upon what it can become, certainly greater things will become of it.

How ever you may see your faith today, may God help you renew the condition of your heart so that it may grow again.

Have a blessed day!