Luke 6:41-42 NASB Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

On the way home from work, my husband was stopped at a busy intersection near our house, one that always gets backed up because there is only one lane to go straight. Just as the light turns green a truck blows by him on his left (the lane for oncoming traffic) and cuts off all the cars at the intersection. At almost the same time a car comes down the right turn only lane and cuts off all the cars going straight, including the truck that had just cut everyone else off. And guess what? That truck honked at that car!

Now from my husband’s perspective (and all the other drivers who just got cut off by two vehicles) the driver of the truck is being absurd. He is honking at the other car for doing the exact same thing he was doing. The arrogance that must take!

I imagine God looks down at us and thinks “What arrogance that must take!” He sees us brazenly breaking His laws (that’s sinning) and then watches us berate others for their sins. When Jesus shared the parable in Luke chapter 6, He wasn’t saying we should never point out anyone else’s sins. He was saying we need to be humble enough to admit our own sins first, or we will never be able to help anyone else find their way to Christ.

Lord, thank you for reminding me that I need your grace every day.

-Kevi

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Mark 4:3, 8, 13-14, 20 NASB

3 Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;

8 Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word.

20 And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

Out of the four circumstances in the parable of the sower, we should desire to be in the good soil. We want to bear fruit for the kingdom of God! But being in the good soil doesn’t mean you have it easy. After all, how do you get good soil? You fertilize it. And a lot of the time “spiritual fertilizer” doesn’t smell any better than the real kind.

So if you’re going through difficult times, consider that they might be fertilizing your soil, and will allow you to bear more fruit for God’s glory!

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18 (NASB)

-Kevi 

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Mark 4:3, 7, 13-14, 18-19 NASB

3 Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;

7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word.

18 And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

So the other day I went to the store for a particular purpose. I needed to pick up something for my husband to take to work the next day. Of course I ended up with a few other things in the cart and by the time I got to the checkout my son was a little fussy. So I was feeding him snacks and trying to keep him happy. As I walked off from the register I heard voices calling out “Ma’am, ma’am!” I had walked off without getting any of my bags! I had been so distracted by my son that I almost left without the things I actually came for!

If the devil can’t keep us from accepting salvation for ourselves, then he will do his best to distract us so we won’t bear fruit and bring anyone else to Christ. He will use anything (even good things, like our families) to distract us. Let’s not let him distract us from our true purpose: bearing fruit for God’s kingdom.

-Kevi

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Mark 4:3, 5-6, 13-14, 16-17 NASB

3 Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;

5 Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word.

16 In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.

The other day I found out that my (three year old) niece took swimming lessons this summer. But when I asked if she could swim? Well…not so much. For three year olds swimming lessons aren’t about learning how to swim. They are about learning how to be comfortable in the water. Basically she learned how not to drown!

Unfortunately we may all know some new believers that were excited about Jesus, but they had no depth to their faith and when difficulties came along, “they fell away.” But what if we take the time and energy to disciple new believers? So when the difficulties of life come, the trials and the persecutions, they will turn towards their faith, and not away from it. They aren’t ready to swim just yet, so let’s get them comfortable in the water, let’s teach them how not to drown!

-Kevi

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Mark 4:3-4; 13-15 NASB

Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.

And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

Now, I know my husband will read this, but I’m going to be honest and say that sometimes he tells me stories and I just don’t hear them. I mean, I hear them, I am listening, but there is no comprehension. This generally happens when he is talking about video games, tech gadgets he wants to buy, politics or other topics that I just don’t have a keen interest in. I nod along, but at the end of the story I really don’t know what was said. Sorry babe, but I’m sure you feel the same way about some of my stories!

Now you might say the problem is that I wasn’t really listening. But maybe the problem is that he picked the wrong audience for what he had to say!

There are those that have no ears for the Gospel. We can (and should) share it with them, but Satan will be able to snatch it away because they believe his lies and will not hear the truth. But then there are those that are ready to hear it! They are hungry and seeking food for their souls. Let’s not be discouraged when our words fall by the wayside, let’s keep searching for the right audience, the ones that are ready for the Gospel call!

-Kevi

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