Every day we ask ourselves many questions. But when you think about it the most important question you may ask yourself in this life, may be one from our text this week, “how can I be good soil?” How can I receive the Word today so that I walk with the living God in a real and life-giving way? We experience fellowship with God and grow in our knowledge of him and his ways as we spend time with him in his Word.
May I ask you a question? Are you making room in your life for his Word?
I am thinking of those of you who are suffering in any number of ways. Perhaps things are not going the way you want in some aspect of your life. It may be work, relationships, family or something else. Or you might be remembering ones who have died, and today grief is like a cloud surrounding you. Or perhaps someone is sinning against you or has disappointed you and you are struggling with resentment, knowing its wrong, but not really feeling motivated to forgive. Resentment just feels right.
Jesus said that the seeds “sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundred fold (Mark 4:20).” So how can we be good soil? How can we know God’s promises, and experience his sustaining power in our lives? How can his Word work in us in the midst of the real challenges and difficulties we face today?
We must open our Bibles, invite the Holy Spirit to help us, and read and receive what God has for us. It is through his Word and the Spirit that we experience the promise of Jesus, “I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)”. How do we do this? A few thoughts:
- Read the Bible consistently. Make time every day to read the word of God and invite God to help you understand it and grow in your knowledge of it (if you don’t know how to do this, ask a Christian friend who can help). Here on our website we have several Bible reading plans. Pick one and get started.
- Read the Bible specifically for your need! Bible plans are meant to be interrupted. When you are hurting, read about the tender mercies of our God (Psalm 55:12; Psalm 34:18; Matthew 11:28-30). When you are struggling to forgive read of God’s forgiveness for you and ask for God’s help to forgive, being honest with your God about your struggles (Matthew 18:21-35; Ephesians 4:32; Matthew 6:9-15). God’s Word speaks to whatever you are struggling with, if you don’t know where, ask a brother or sister.
- Remember the gospel and wait on the Lord (Romans 5:1-2). As you read his word regarding your struggle, receive the Word by praying over it, remind yourself of the blessings that are yours in the gospel. Remind yourself the Holy Spirit has been poured into your heart and invite him to help you (Romans 5:3-5). Pray the Word. Ask God to help you and express your faith in him to help you. Wait for the Lord, entrusting your struggle to him. He will walk the road with you, especially when you are struggling. He will not forsake you!
- God has already done what you cannot do, trust him to do what you need him to do. Be real and be humble with God with whatever you are struggling with. Invite him and his word into your life to do their work. The Word and the Holy Spirit are powerful beyond what we can imagine or ask (Ephesians 4:20). Ask God to do what apart from his grace you would never do.
I love the words of the Shane and Shane song, I Will Wait for You (Psalm 130), that put’s this into a beautiful song that we can sing as we meet with God:
So put Your hope in God alone
Take courage in His power to save
Completely and forever won
By Christ emerging from the graveI will wait for You, I will wait for You
On Your word I will rely
I will wait for You, surely wait for You
‘Til my soul is satisfied
Let’s be good soil, brothers and sisters, by regularly accepting the Word of God into our hearts and inviting the Holy Spirit to shape our lives by it! May God be with you this morning!
Kenneth Maresco