March 22, 2007 ---- PLEASE READ!!!!

I am writing this to all of my friends. Primarily those I grew up with!

I promise I will not be this "preachy" in all of my posts, but please take the time to read this.

Angela and I just got back from spending the last four nights at a conference in Adrian.

One of the speakers from Texarkana has been greatly used by God in our lives over the past two years, both through the word preached and the gifts of the Spirit. I don't want to go into detail about everything that he said but I do want to highlight a few things from tonights service.

He preached a message tonight about the parable of the sower. I have never heard it preached the way it was tonight and never have I felt that it was more acurately preached.

In Mark 4:13 Jesus begin explaining the parable of the sower with these words "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all parables?"
This is why I want you to read this. . . Jesus put enough emphasis on this one parable that He said if you don't understand this parable then you will not be able to under the other parables." It's important that we get this. Kenneth Copeland calls this the "granddaddy of all parables."

He goes on to explain the different grounds.

Here's my point. . . Each one of us has grown up hearing the Word preached. Each one of us individually have to make the choice of what kind of ground we will be.

Isn't it interesting the five things that hinder the Word growing in our lives. . . Lack of understanding, hard times, cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things. . . Are things that EVERYONE of us have experienced. We have all lacked understanding in areas of our life, we have all gone through hard times (some of them extreme), we all have pressures of everyday life, we all are tempted to PURSUE being rich, and to desire things that distract us from our walk with God. Therefore we all have opportunites to be the wrong kind of soil.

I am writing this asking that each one of us would inventory our lives. Are we living up to the potential that you know God desires us to? If we are not then lets make the changes necessary to be good soil that bears fruit.

Two final thoughts - Normally I would put this at the end, but I want you to read it. It breaks my heart when I think about all the people I know that have gotten sidetracked from their relationship with God. Jesus said, "WHAT HAS A MAN GAINED if he gains the whole world but loses his soul."

My final thought: In Mark 4 Jesus continues to explain the parable of the sower by saying this, "is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not be set on a lampstand?" Jesus was talking about the Word that has been revealed to you (Remember the sower sows the WORD)? The Word was not sown into your life for you to hide what you have heard and learned. Instead just as a lamp is placed somewhere so that it will give light to all those in the room, the Word of God that has been sown in your soil was given to you so that it can bring light into every area of your life. Let's not hide it any longer!!