Κύριος Notes

Adoration/Praise

What a wonderful Maker
What a wonderful Savior
How majestic Your whispers
And how humble Your love
With a strength like no other
And the heart of a Father
How majestic Your whispers
What a wonderful God

Chris Tomlin

Scripture Reflection: Luke 8
4While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5"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. 6Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8Still 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."
9His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10He 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.

There are time when I understand and when I just don't get it Lord. I can not make sense out of the randomness of the events that shape Your work in my life. I miss the point and get lost and like Hansel and Gretel in the fable I loose the trail of the bread crumbs and end up in places that I never intended.

The fact that you continue to teach the people in parables...at a level that they could understand some what is encouraging to me. You did not abandon them you kept on attempting to communicate. Some of these same people would make up the early church in just a few short years...then the pieces of the puzzle would interlock and fall in place.
Lord Jesus I pray for the people who are a part of the Living Springs circle of concern that are just sorting out the pieces of their puzzle of faith...just trying to make sense out of the call of Your Holy Spirit on their life. Lord work in their hearts and their lives help them to see the trail of your grace in their lives.

11"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those 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.

Lord Jesus there is active intelligent evil that is on the prowl. I would like to ignore the signs of the battle that surround me. I would like to think that it is just my imagination that the forces of darkness dog our steps in this life. You remind me that there is active intelligent powerful evil that Your people are fighting against...and that at times wins the battle. Thank you that the war is already won...it was won on a cross...at an empty tomb...

13Those 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.
Lord Jesus there are times that continue to test our faith the reality is I have to invest energy in rooting myself in Your word, in thinking about, praying about and feeling my way through Your continued work in my life. I commit to continuing to rooting myself in You Lord Jesus.
14The 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.

Here is the one that I struggle with in the first decade of the 21^th century...it is the thorns and the worries and the stuff that surrounds me. Even rooting myself in the things of Your word and Your work will not stop this insidious process of silent and steady encroachment of the thorns that look so needed and necessary for my life.
Even good things...very good things...like job and tools and success can crowd out Your direction and desire for my growth and maturation process. Lord work in me..

15But 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.

Persevering is just being who you have called me to be...and doing the hard work over time when there is not a lot of fun attached to the process, just the slow and steady nurturing process.

Lord Jesus let me hear the need for roots, let me heed the call to watching out and rooting out the thorns and weeds that would choke out maturity in my soul life, teach me the slow and steady lesson of persevering to produce the crop that will be ready at harvest time.