Know the Mysteries

Reading: Matt 13:10-17, also found in Mark 4:10-12, Luke 8:9,10

"Jesus went out.. and sat by the sea. And a great multitude were gathered together to Him, so that he got into a boat and sat... Then He spoke many things to them in parables..." Later the disciples came and asked Him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" NKJ

"You are permitted
to understand the secrets (mysteries) of the Kingdom of Heaven,
but others are not.
To those who listen to my teaching 
more understanding will be given... 
But for those who are not listening, 
even what little understanding they have will be taken away... 
That is why I use these parables.
For they look, but they don't really see. 
They hear, but they don't really listen or understand.

This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says...

"For the hearts of these people are hardened and
their ears can not hear,
and they have closed their eyes, 
so their eyes can not see, 
and their ears cannot hear, 
and their hearts cannot understand 
and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them."
Matt. 13:10-15 NLT

"Is a lamp brought to be put

under a basket or under a bed?

Is it not set on a lamp stand? 

For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, 

nor has anything been kept secret

but that it should come to light.

If anyone who has ears to hear let him hear." 

Mark 4:21-23 NKJ

Those who believe in God, who listen to His words are permitted to know the secrets and mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven!!!

When Jesus speaks of "Ears to hear" He is referring to those who listen to what He says; whose hearts are not hard, but are ready and willing to listen. They have not closed their eyes nor stopped up their ears. For those who truly listen, more understanding will be given as we press in to hear His voice.

The word mystery means "to initiate into the mysteries,... something hidden requiring special revelation... something that people could never know by their own understanding and that demands revelation from God. The secret thoughts, plans, and dispensations of God remain hidden from unregenerate mankind, but are revealed to all believers." Word Wealth New Spirit Filled Bible

There is a great mystery in the kingdom of heaven that prophets of old and even angels had a glimpse of and have longed to look into. This greatest mystery of all the ages has now been revealed. Gaining a grasp of this mystery is the theme for the parables.

"...the mystery which has been hidden from ages and generations,
but now has been revealed to His saints.
To them God willed to make known
what are the riches of the glory of this mystery...which is
Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Colossians 1:26, 27 NKJ


"But blessed are your eyes for they see
and your ears for they hear...
many prophets and righteous desired to see
what you see and did not see it,
to hear what you hear and did not hear it."
Matt 13:16,17NLT

It is incredible to consider the privilege that we have been given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God and to receive our salvation prophesied so long ago. Praise God for His great mercy and loving kindness to provide us with such glorious riches in Christ. In Hebrews 11:30-12:2 it speaks of the suffering, torture and death of prophets and saints in days gone, yet they did not receive the promises in their lifetime. God provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. What should our response should be to the precious gift He has given us through Christ? Check Hebrews 12:1,2 to see. (Hint: Run the Race)

Come Aside with Jesus

Reading: Mark 4:10, Luke 11:9-13

"But when He was alone,
those around Him with the twelve
asked Him about the parable."
Mark 4:10

Come aside from the crowds, out of the busy stream of life... go into your secret place. When we ask God to reveal His word to us, He will speak to our hearts. He wants to speak to us, as much as we want to hear from Him. Think of the passion in Jesus' voice when He cried out, "he, who has ears to hear, let him hear". He wants to open the mystery of the kingdom of God to those who believe in Him, those who seek Him with their whole heart!

"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you...
how much more will your Heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
Luke 11:9-13 

"...you will seek Me and find Me,
when you search for Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, says the lord."
Jeremiah 29:13,14a 

Ask Him, seek Him, knock on the doors of heaven and He will open His mysteries. You will find Him! God is a good Father, far beyond the best human father. He loves us as children and He will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. The Spirit will guide us into truth.

"When He the Spirit of truth, has come,
He will guide you into all truth..."
John 16:13

The enemy will try to convince you that you can't hear from God. The important thing is to believe God wants you to hear His voice. Maybe it is a little hard to believe that right now. In Mark 9:22-24 there is a man who had a demon possessed son and he said to Jesus , "if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us:. Jesus said, "if you can believe all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" Do you ever feel like that guy? But isn't it wonderful, we can even ask Him to help us with our unbelief?

As Christians who attend church regularly we hear God's word go out all the time, like the sower sowing seed, resounding over the land like radio waves. We hear His word in church, on CD's, on the radio; but can we remember everything we heard and live it out even the next day? The key lies in the verse at the top of the page. Get alone with Jesus and ask Him about the word that quickened your heart; the message you felt God speak directly to you. Write it down in your journal and spend some time in that place of being until the Holy Spirit works it into your heart and out into your life. There is power in His Spirit to do things you can not seem to do for yourself. It is a patient work, all part of our journey through life with Jesus. Our journal is a record of our "travels" and the "places" where we come aside with Jesus, sojourn, stay for a while to be refreshed, grow, before we continue the journey, following Him.

Praise God for the wonderful gift of His Spirit!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above,
and comes down from the Father of lights...
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth,
that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures."
James 1:17-18

Fruit of a Beautiful Heart

Reading: Luke 8: 4-15

What does a beautiful, honest heart look like?
In the Parable of the Sower Jesus shows us what a good honest heart is not. It is not hard, trampled or left unattended. It is not shallow or distracted. It is not crowded choked by thorny issues. Then He shows us what a beautiful honest heart looks like. It is the fertile ground of  

"honest good hearted people who hear God's word, 

cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest!" 

Luke 8:15 NLT 

What is the harvest? What is the fruit? What does it look like in our life? Jesus shows us in the beatitudes, which we will get to in a few weeks. Paul also shows us what the fruit of a Holy Spirit led life looks like:

"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 

patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control... 

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sin nature 

with its passions and desires..." 

Galatians 5:22-24 NIV  

"Be kind... tenderhearted, forgiving one another, 

even as God in Christ forgave you." Eph. 4:31,32 NKJ
 

"...as the elect of God, holy and beloved,

put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, 

bearing with one another and forgiving..." 

Colossians 3:12 NKJ

Oh Lord help us to break up the fallow ground of our hearts, that we may hear, and understand Your word to us... that we may cling to it with patience and in due time harvest a huge crop of beautiful fruit.

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked; 

for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, 
from that nature will reap destruction; 

the one who sows to please the Spirit, 

from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 

Let us not become weary in doing good, 

for in due season we will reap a harvest 

if we do not lose heart and give up." 

Gal. 6:7-9 NIV/NKJ  

God has a due season for all the seeds we plant. His time table may be a quick return, but sometimes it may take years or even a lifetime. Realize three things: God's harvest will come, it will not return empty, but will accomplish what He pleases. Isa 55:10,11 God is never early or late - He is right on time with our best interests at heart. He makes everything beautiful in His time. Ecc 3:11 Our harvest will have the same nature as the seeds we sow. Good seeds bring good harvest, bad seeds bring bad harvests. Gal. 6:7-9

"the seeds that fell on good soil 
represent honest good hearted people 

who hear God's word, cling to it, 
and patiently produce a huge harvest!" 

Luke 8:15 NLT

Listen to God's word, cling to it and you will patiently produce a huge harvest. God's harvest will come so do not grow weary or lose heart.

A Beautiful, Honest Heart

Reading: Luke 8:8, 15

"Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted... And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good hearted people who hear God's word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest."
Luke 8:8, 15 

The King James Bible says an honest and good heart. I looked up the two words they are very similar. Combined they say "beautiful, but chiefly good, valuable, virtuous, honest, and worthy. Wow, I want a heart like that... a heart where the word of God fills my life and those I touch with beautiful fruit. Lord, I want a beautiful, good and honest heart. Change my heart I pray. The fertile soil of a beautiful honest heart is not hard, distracted nor divided, but rather focused on the one thing that matters most... loving God and loving people. 

"You shall love the Lord your God 

with all your heart ... soul... mind... 

and love your neighbor as yourself." 

Matt. 22:37-39 NKJ 

The story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42 is a familiar story and good picture. Martha welcomed Jesus and His disciples into her home and prepared a nice meal for them; which a is good and loving thing to do. The question is did she keep things simple or do way too much, as to cause her to be stressed and distracted? I do this all too often. We as women dream of how wonderful it would be if we do this, this and that. Then we get anxious. While Martha was making this wonderful meal, sister Mary sat at Jesus' feet and heard His words.  "Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me. And Jesus said to her  

'Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. 

But one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, 

and it will not be taken from her." 

Luke 10:38-42 NIV

Wow, what a lesson to keep things as simple as possible, so as to be focused on what really matters. It is not so easy as women. We live in a Martha world, when so much is expected of us, yet we need to make time to sit at His feet and hear His word, so we can abide in Him through the day and serve Him with peace and joy.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. 
He who abides in me, bears much fruit;  
for without me you can do nothing." 
John 15:5

Jesus has a beautiful honest heart. 
When we look to Him, behold Him, just sit with Him and be with Him
the Spirit of the Lord transforms us, glory by glory into His likeness. 
(2 Cor. 3:18)

A Divided Heart

Reading: Luke 8:7, 14

"Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked the tender plants.The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares, riches and pleasures of this life. And they never grow to maturity."
Luke 8:7, 14 NLT

"Plow up the hard ground of your hearts!
Do not waste your good seed among thorns."
Jer 4:3

Thorns in the heart, ouch! How do you pull them out of such a tender place without damaging the good plant? Remember the hard soil? Same thing... you soak the thorny soil and in a few days the root loosen their grasp in the soil. Bath yourself in the word and these things slide out much easier. There are three things mentioned that crowd God's word from growing to maturity in your life..cares, riches and pleasure. Here are some verses for each:

Cares, worry and anxiety:

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."
1Peter 5:7 NLT

"So don't worry about these things, saying,
'What will we eat? What will we drink?
What will we wear?'
These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers,
but your heavenly Father already knows your needs.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously,
and he will give you everything you need.
So don't worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will bring it's own worries."
Matt. 6:25-34 NLT
 

"Don't worry (or be anxious) about anything;
instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Then you will experience God's peace,
which exceeds anything we can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds
as you live in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6, 7 NLT

Hallelujah! Oh, God yes we believe in You, but please help us with our unbelief that we may trust You completely as a small child trusts their parents.

Riches and pleasure:

"Don't store up treasures here on earth...
store your treasures in heaven...
Wherever your treasure is,
there the desires of your heart will also be...
no one can serve two masters...
you can be devoted to one and despise the other.
You can not serve both God and money."
Matt. 6:19-24

Also see Ecclesiastes 2, 11 and 12

In conclusion, how do we allow the seed of God's word mature in us? Do not let the thorns of worry grow up and choke the tender word He has given us. Rather we must trust God for every part of our life. Also we should be mindful of not letting the temptation of worldly riches and pleasure to steal our hearts desires away from loving the one who loves us most.

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness
and all these things shall be added to you."
Matt. 6:33

A Distracted Heart

Reading: Luke 8:6,13

"Some seed fell on rock, and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture... But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away."
Luke 8:6, 13

This is shallow soil with not enough room for the roots of the plant to grow deep down where the soil stays moist. On a hot day it is quickly dehydrated and shrivels up. So it is if we are not grounded in Christ where He has our whole hearted devotion. How can I be filled with the Spirit if I am full of so many other things that take my attention away from living for Him. There are so many tempting distractions, so many things to fill our lives with. But more importantly so many things to capture our hearts and compete with our love for God. I have heard that people in Africa pray for us, because we live in such a busy distracting culture. But it is God who purposed for us to be born here. He will give us grace to overcome if we ask Him.

The apostle Paul prayed this for the people of Ephesus:

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... that He would grant you... to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height... to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Eph 3:14-21 NKJ
 
Amazing love and promise. It is worth throwing out a few rocks to live in this kind of love and fullness. If we search for Him with our whole heart, we will find Him. As we give Him more place in our life, the temptation of worldliness fades. "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full into His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."

"If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."
Jeremiah 29:13

"Now all glory to God, who is able,
through His mighty power at work within us,
to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."
Eph 3:20

He is able!

A Hardened Heart

Reading: Luke 8:5, 15

"A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field,

some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it... 

The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, 

only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts 

and prevent them from believing and being saved." 

Luke 8:5, 15 NLT

Jesus speaks of a person who is resistant to His words. The seed of the message sits on top of the hard "soil" of the path, the heart  that is too resistant to receive the seed. With out the cover of soft soil the seed is vulnerable to the birds (the enemy) to devour it and end the life giving fruit that would come in this persons life, had they received the seed. Jesus is speaking here of an unbeliever that hears His words and walks away from the life offered. But, I think in the life of a believer, we can have area's of resistance in our heart to the seed of the word bringing the life of a greater experience of God's presence in our life. Though we sincerely believe in the life and message of Jesus, are His words finding expression in our every day life? "... if my words abide in you... "Are there area's in your life where you have your own self directive? Just getting things done with out regard for abiding in Christ. Is there anything that might keep you from knowing Him better? Ask Him "Is there anything I have not let God touch? " Is there a resistance? Ask God to search your heart and reveal any area's that are hard, preventing His word from creating a deep work in your life.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life."
Psalm 139:23,24

Our heart is like a treasury where we either store either good treasure or bad. "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." In other words, "whatever is in your heart will determine what you say." See Matt. 12:33-37, James 3:9-12 If we are wanting to know what is stored there, we can listen to what we say.

How do we soften hard area's in our heart? It is similar to breaking up hard ground. Two things: Soak it in the rain water of the word of God (see Isaiah 55:10,11) and break it up with a plow.

"Sow for yourself in righteousness, reap in mercy;
break up your fallow (hard) ground,
for it is time to seek the Lord,
till He comes and rains righteousness on you."
Hosea 10:12

Finally, don't let the enemy steal God's word from your heart. Hide it in your heart. Write it down in a journal, on note cards, carry it with you, memorize it. Choose something simple and live in it. Guard your heart.

"I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you."
Ps. 119:11 .

"Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life."
Pr. 4:22

Parable of the Sower

Reading: Luke 8: 11-15

Oh, the glories of spring, here in Oregon! It is still mostly rainy and cloudy; but when the sun comes out of the mist and a rainbow arches to the heavens my heart leaps with joy. There are lambs and foals in the fields and little bright colored leaves growing on the trees. The oaks are finally sending out their leaves signalling time to put in a garden.

It's been years since we planted a garden because we live in deer country and they eat nearly everything we plant. But this year, we put in a fence and we will soon have a garden and green house in as well.*  What a great time of year to ponder the miracle, the latent potential that resides in a single seed. With spring comes the hope of new life; along with the joy and anticipation of a good harvest.

Jesus, in His kindness and understanding of us funny little people found simple ways to speak of kingdom truth to us. He often used examples from farming that the people of Israel understood well, because it was their everyday life to grow the food they ate. In our day of going to the grocery store and bringing home little boxes of food; we can miss these simple truths, because farming no longer surrounds our everyday life as it did theirs. But as we consider the miracle of God's creation and ponder kingdom truth, God will open our eyes to see and speak understanding to our hearts.

Jesus spoke the Parable of the Sower to a large crowd. And when He had finished He said,

"Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand." 

Luke 8:8 NLT

I used the New Living translation of this particular verse because it brings more understanding of what Jesus meant. In the ancient language "hear" is used twice and is the same word. But in looking up the word it conveys the idea of not only hearing, but understanding as well. My own paraphrase would be "If anyone's heart is toward God, listen, pay close attention and grasp what I am saying." Jesus wants us as His people to hear and to understand. Later on, when He was alone with His followers they asked Him what the Parable meant. Do you find it amazing, that thru the Holy Spirit we can get alone with Jesus and ask Him what His words mean? I thank Him for providing the way to the Father through Him. Below He explained the parable to His close disciples as follows:

"... The seed is God's word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don't have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow to maturity. And the seeds that fell on good soil represents honest, good hearted people who hear God's word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest." Luke 8:11-15 NLT

What does Jesus mean in this parable? How did it apply to His disciples and the crowds that followed Him? How does it apply to us, 2,000 years later?

Fields of Gold by Sheri Dinardi

Consider the potential of a single seed. When planted, nurtured by the sun and water, it will grow into a beautiful plant that will produce many fruits and many seeds that will produce even more fruit. Jesus tells us in this parable that the seed is God's word being scattered out. The fate of each seed depends on the ground that it falls upon. So too, is the seed of the word of God. For it to have an effect in an individual life, for it to bear fruit it must fall on the fertile ground of a person with a good and sincere heart. Think of the potential when the seed of God's word falls on a sincere heart where it may be nurtured and grow to maturity.

Over the coming days and weeks we will dig into the Parable of the Sower on this site. I pray you will check in and sojourn with us as we look to Jesus to speak into each heart with ears to hear. But even greater, my prayer is that you will take time to enter into the presence of God, through Jesus with a humble heart, ready to hear from Him, to learn from Him, and ultimately to be transformed by Him as you read the seeds of His words in your own Bible and they speak to you.

Ask the Lord today to speak to you about this parable. Tell Him you want to have an honest good heart that will hear His word and produces an amazing harvest of fruit in your life. Just think of how it would feel to have "fruit of the Spirit" so much a part of who you are, that it is your nature every day. Jesus' "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control" part of your every day that you live. Imagine having His gentle nature be so much a part of your being that you can not imagine living any other way... His love and mercy, His humility and strength, His power under full control. We are being transformed glory by glory into His likeness as we behold Him with open hearts, in His word. Cling to His word and be patient in the work of the Spirit.


*Note: Since the original writing of this post, we did put in garden beds and a greenhouse. Now we not only plant a summer garden, with tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, etc; but we also plant a fall and spring garden with peas, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, chard, radishes, etc. We have participated in the miracle of God. I marvel when a few days after planting a tiny seed, little leaves emerge from the ground and later we harvest food to eat. Our peas, beans, radishes and tomatoes have created such abundance that we have to share with family, neighbors and friends. Thank You Lord for your miraculous creation in the natural realm and in the spirit realm as well. I pray that you give us eyes to see and ears to hear Your Spirit in our life.