Last week, I dove back into God's Word
for the first time in a while. With babies, homeschooling, chores and
all the other things that go along with being a stay at home mom of
three children five and under, it's really easy to "justify"
not spending time in the Word.
I fought for this time of reconnecting
with God through the inspired Words that so many people struggled over
centuries to put into print (for me! And you!) It has been a battle
since I have not yet mastered the art of waking up long before
everyone in my house. (Note to self: make this happen!)
So with the baby napping, and the older
two children semi-occupied with toys or a television show, I would
sit, pen in hand, ready to underline Words that ministered grace to
my soul and spirit.
Then one day, things got hectic, and I
didn't get around to my new routine. By early afternoon, there was
frustration, raised (angry) voices (okay, just one...mine!), and
general chaos. Nothing had gone the way I planned for that day, and I
began to wonder, "is God punishing me for not reading my Bible
today?!"
"Is God punishing me
for not reading my Bible today?!"
The immediate answer I "heard"
in my spirit: "NO!"
Right after that, I was reminded of the
parable of the sower in Mark 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 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.”
14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside
where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and
takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise
are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word,
immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in
themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when
tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately
they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they
are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world,
the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things
entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these
are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it,
and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
Could it be that my heart is like the
wayside? Or the stony ground? Now, I'm not generally one to blame the
devil for all the mishaps of life. Sometimes, it's just me. But Satan
really doesn't want the Word to take root in my life. Oh, God
has got me! No doubt about that. But Satan wants to do everything in
his power to make sure that the Word doesn't influence my actions, my
relationships, my world (and
all the people in it).
If I'm not busy tending the soil of my
heart, the birds of the air would like nothing better than to steal
away the seeds that have been planted. Distractions come. Children
misbehave. Plans unravel. First and foremost, I need to make sure I'm
guarding and protecting the precious Words God sows in my heart.
Prayer waters them, and acting on the Word (James 1:22-23) tills the
soil, until slowly but surely, the soil becomes good ground.
So, no. God does not punish me for
neglecting His Word. But I can't bear fruit for Him if I am not
diligent to seek after His Words and put them into practice. The
enemy sure would like to distract me, sometimes right away, and I
need to be aware and know that he likes to sneak in little attacks
along the way. But, man! Sometimes it's hard to see through it to the
bigger picture.
How about you? Have you been able to
work through the stony ground to make it good, fertile ground for
God's Word?
Linking up here:
Linking up here:
