JESUS SPEAKING

                But when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parable […] And He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes instantly and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a short time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, right away they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” (Mark 4: 13-20.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                Jesus had just finished presenting an agricultural parable to the masses (A parable is a short story that illustrates a deeper truth; to discover it’s meaning, the listener is forced to think.)  In the parable, a farmer went out to plant his crop.  His seeds landed on four distinct types of soil: hard soil; rocky soil; thorny soil; and good soil.  The disciples approached Jesus afterwards to find out what the parable meant; he lovingly explained its deeper meaning to them.  The seeds represent the word of God (the message of salvation.)  The soil represents the human heart; every heart is either hard, rocky, thorny, or good.  Only the good heart is capable of producing fruit.  When God’s word is allowed to grow unrestricted, it yields an abundance of loving works and infiltrates the hearts and minds of others.

                Let’s take a closer look at each type of heart:  Hard hearts cannot be penetrated […] God is rejected without contemplation or consideration.  Occasionally a little grey haired man enters the coffee shop I frequent (he is a lawyer who defended Charles Manson.)  I give him rides from time to time and try to help him when I can.  Although in his 90’s and near death, he still has a great distain for God and is quite a vocal atheist.  In our discussions, his rejection of God is outright and he refuses to listen.  His usual response is, “Do you know how many wars have been fought in the name of religion?”  He often goes on to make jokes about the Catholic priests that have been caught molesting children.  His heart is as hard as stone; any efforts to reveal God’s truth to him are in vain; I have ceased trying to do the impossible.

                Unlike hard hearts, stony hearts are just soft enough to receive the gospel […] God’s word penetrates, and takes root.  But difficulties arise; sacrifices must be made; and sinful practices need to be discarded.  To avoid hardship, God is denied authority or is discarded completely.  A friend of mine once eagerly received God’s word.  He soon came to a crossroads; he was required to give up fornication (sex before marriage.)  He refused to sacrifice his lust, so instead he sacrificed his relationship with God.  Over the years he has gone from woman to woman; he is currently with a woman who denies Jesus Christ entirely (Being a Christian is an unpopular and narrow road; it requires sacrifice.  Jesus actually told his disciples to, “Count the Cost.”  It is very costly, but it is also worth the cost.)

                Those with thorny hearts allow God’s word to penetrate them deeply (their initial response is similar to those with good hearts.)  They endure initial sacrifice to follow Jesus; however, as the years pass, thorns begin to grow in their hearts.  (Thorns are weeds; weeds infect the soil around useful crops; they compete for nutrients and resources; unless plucked out, they decrease the productivity of the plant, and can even cause it to die completely.)  Careers, bank accounts, hobbies, homes, relationships, and recreation are weeds that can grow in the heart.  They can compete with God for time, energy and resources.  In 1966 a committed follower of Jesus Christ began working for a Christian television network.  His heart was likely filled with good intentions.  He hosted some programs that became wildly successful.  Like many television evangelists, he did on-air fundraising; his love for Christ began to compete with his love for money; he started committing fraud and gave himself 3.4 million dollars in bonuses.  In 1988 a Federal grand jury indicted him on eight counts of mail fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy; he went from serving God, to serving time in prison.

                The rarest of all hearts is made up of good soil; these hearts receive God’s word and it fills them completely.  They exist to spread the word of the Lord and to bring others to the knowledge of God (without falling victim to apathy or idolatry.)  Nearly 2000 years ago a man named Paul received Jesus Christ as his Lord and savior.  From the day of his conversion he tirelessly sought to spread the gospel to every living soul.  His faith and determination did fade with age (his last days were just as spirit filled as his first days.)  He wrote a great majority of the letters that make up our new testament.  Near the end of his life, prior to be being beheaded for the lord, he wrote, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me in that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

                 Today, which type of heart beats in your chest?  What kind of soil has God’s word encountered within you?  Have you denied God access to your heart?  Have you allowed Him to enter, only to eventually kick him out?  Have you allowed other things to displace the prominence of a savior in your life?  Or perhaps your heart is one of the rarest of all of God’s creations; a heart completely submitted to the word of God.  If God’s word lives in you, may you never let it go; may nothing compete with it; may you cast sin aside and allow God to lead you.  Let His word produce fruit in your life and give Him the opportunity to pour out of you and in to the hearts and lives of others.

                “Lord Heavenly Father, soften our hearts, that Your word may find it’s home in us.  Help us to cast away sin, and to embrace sacrifice; knowing that our reward will be great.  Remove any distractions in our hearts that compete with You.  Compel us to spread Your word to others, that we may bear much fruit for You.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

                 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst.”  Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to his mouth.  So when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished!”  And bowing his head, he gave up his spirit (John 19: 28-30.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                Jesus had come to the end of his suffering on the cross.  He was betrayed, arrested, abandoned, beaten, humiliated, falsely accused, interrogated, publicly ridiculed and teased, spit on, and pierced by thorns; he was maimed by a whip about the neck, back and legs (the whip contained sharp shards which tore open his flesh;) a bag was placed over his head and he was struck in the face; Jesus carried a cross through mobs of people who hurled insults at him.  Spikes were driven through his hands and feet.  Despite the long list of pains he endured, thirst was one of the greatest agonies of the cross.  The condemned were denied water; Jesus had lost huge amounts of blood and was exposed to the heat of the day; his body desperately sought water to repair itself.  Near death, he said, “I thirst.”  The soldiers responded to his thirst by raising a vinegar soaked sponge to his lips (vinegar is an extremely bitter tasting liquid—even the Romans mercy seemed cruel.)  In his last moments, Jesus tasted the bitterness of man’s sin.  He then said, “it is finished,” and he died.  In a single day he had finished his greatest work; the salvation of mankind.  He took the penalty of man’s sin upon himself.  He suffered God’s wrath, so that those who would believe in him could avoid destruction. 

                The following is a fictitious story which illustrates the work of Jesus on the cross:  A girl and her mother lived next to a snake farm in India.  From the time of her youth, the girl was told not to wander near the snake pits.  One evening the girl began to argue with her mother; frustrated and filled with anger, she struck her mother; in shock the girl ran from her home; because it was evening she didn’t realize she was running toward the snake farm.  Suddenly she plummeted in to one of the pits.  Seeing a single cobra staring her in the face, she screamed.  Hearing the scream, her mother came running and looked down in to the pit and saw her daughter’s distress.  The woman jumped in to the pit, and lunged toward the cobra to save her daughter.  The mother was bitten.  The young girl reached forward to pull her mother away from danger, and the cobra also bit her.  The owners of the snake farm heard the commotion and came running.  They pulled the women from the pit and rushed them to the hospital.  The mother went in to cardiac arrest, but the young girl showed no symptoms.  After a half an hour, the girl’s mother was pronounced dead.  The girl began to sob uncontrollably.  The Doctor approached her with a somber look on his face.  The girl asked him, “How could this have happened?  I’m completely fine; we were bitten by the same snake; why is it I am healthy and my mother is dead?”  The Doctor compassionately replied, “Well, your mother was bitten first; and the snake used all of its venom on her.  When it bit you, it had nothing left to inject.  Your mother saved your life.”

                Similarly, Jesus Christ has placed himself between God’s wrath and those who deserve to experience it.  He has taken the full penalty for sin upon himself; he has paid the price; he has suffered death so others may live.  As Jesus endured suffering he thought of you, and he thought of me.  He thought of us.  Have you accepted his sacrifice?  Have you allowed him to take your place?  Give Jesus Christ the opportunity to heal your spirit and to wash your sins away (Sadly, many will refuse to accept his work on the cross.  If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, you can do that today.  Contact me and we can talk about how you can partake in Christ’s offering and know the true peace of God within your heart.)

                “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and thank Your Son for his suffering.  We thank You for allowing him to take our place on the cross.  Thank You Jesus, for enduring God’s wrath so we can escape His punishment and be forgiven for our sins.  Father, be our God; be our salvation; be the center of our lives; fill us up with Your Spirit, and help us to sacrifice our lives for You (as You have done for us.)  We love You, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.”  God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

                And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, “Where have you laid him?”  They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”  Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”  And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11: 28-37.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS   

                Four days earlier, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus had taken ill and was in grave danger.  Despite his great love for Mary and her family, Jesus did not set out for Bethany until two days later; after Lazarus had died (he purposefully allowed Lazarus to die so he could raise him from the dead.)  When Jesus arrived Mary and Martha were weeping over the loss of their brother.  Jesus was filled with compassion and empathy; his heart began to grieve with theirs, and he joined them in weeping.  His tears were not shed for the loss of Lazarus (for he knew that he would soon be resurrected); instead, Jesus cried because he deeply felt their suffering.  They believed their loved one was lost.  Concerning compassion, God has no equal; he is filled with it.  Compassion is defined as “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.”

                One day I happened by a man named Eric.  He was sitting outside of the coffee shop, slouching in a chair; he looked more dead than alive.  Eric was sweating profusely and his skin was pale and clammy.  His clothes were old and tattered and he badly needed a shower.  Seeing his pain, I was moved to sit down and talk with him.  He was experiencing heroine withdrawal and was very sick.  I took him out to eat and got him some clean clothes.  Later, as his condition became increasingly worse I took him to the hospital.  I sat in the emergency room with Eric for hours; eventually I accompanied him in to see the doctor.  He was treated, and released.  Before dropping Eric off, I bought him some food and supplies, and told him that I was available if he needed anything.  Nearly a year later, Eric showed up at the coffee shop to say hello.  He told me that after our interaction, he had nearly died and was hospitalized for an extended period of time.  He thanked me for my efforts, and said that without my assistance, he might not be alive.  He was grateful that (even when his friends had abandoned him) someone had cared enough to help.  Although Eric thanked me, I reassured him that it was God who deserved the credit; for it was God who felt compassion for him and moved me to action; without God’s Spirit, guidance, and direction, I would have kept walking, just like everyone else.

                The Holy Spirit brings the love of God in to the hearts of men.  God shares his emotions, concerns, and compassion with those who believe, and in so doing, human beings are moved to acts of great kindness and mercy.  The closer we grow to God, the more compassion we feel for those who are hurting.  God carries the wounds of the world around with Him every day.   When someone is beaten, God feels every strike.  When someone is sick, our Father comes down with the flu.  When a child falls, God inspires their parents to comfort them.  Wherever love abounds, God’s spirit can found.  Where there is indifference and a lack of compassion, there is an absence of God’s presence within the human heart.  There are so many broken people in this world who need to be loved; many pass by the afflicted every day without stopping to consider them; but God compels some to act.  May God’s compassion lead you to action; may you feel what God feels; may you see with His eyes; may you be used to relieve the suffering of others, and may you be a vessel of God’s mercy in a world filled with hurting people.

                “Lord Heavenly Father, we desire to know You and to be filled with Your compassion.  Inspire our hearts to be sensitive to those who are hurting; give us the strength to reach out and be kind to the needy.  May we love even strangers, knowing that they are Your children.  Use us to express Your goodness and mercy to those who need to know that there is a God who loves them.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.