For the next 30 days I will be taking the Lectio Divina Challenge. Praying through and listening to God through the Scriptures. I hope you will look for updates and begin a dialog about the Scriptures.

Luke 8:4-15 (NIV)

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, " 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.' "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.   Journaling Imagine the gardner coming to this plot of ground to plant his crop. What kind of soil does he have to work with? Some is hard and unyeilding, some is receptive but not very deep, some become tangled with weeds and other things, but some is ready willing and able for a bounty. So where am I in the scheme of things do you suppose? No I'm not producing a bounty that for sure. So much of my time is filled with doing church and meeting needs, God's word can't take root in my heart. Its getting choked.  Then I hear Jesus "calls" out to me,  imagine, almost pleading with me, "if you have ear, then listen to me" your life is slipping away and sooner than you think will come the harvest. I don't think Jesus told this parable of the soils to tell us it is all hopeless. You're either one type of soil or another. We have choice. I can choose to be hard and crusty, or soft and receptive to God's word and let it produce fruit in my life. I pray God will use this time I'm dedicating to Him to guide my day and my prayers to make me more recepetive. I believe God can change the heart of us all, and I believe I can still become good soil. I know I still have some crustiness, but Thank God I'm not where I use to be!  [July 29,2008]