What's it like to become a Christian? That is a very good question and one that we should really think about and take very seriously.
In today's world, becoming a Christian can be scorned, it can be ignored, it can be disregarded intentionally, it can be totally taken no notice of at all, and even some may look at Christianity and think WOW! Too hard, just forget about it.
Yes, Christianity is a definite decision each of us has to make as we travel along life's pathways. It's definitely not like deciding on what you would like to eat at a nice restaurant and choosing from the menu. No! Becoming a Christian is a decision we all have to make. We accept Christ or reject Him. If we reject Him, then unfortunately, we actually turn our backs on God and just trundle along through life.
And then there is the end! Sad. If you read the Bible, the end of life is eternity. Either in Heaven or in Hell - you get to decide. You can either come to Christ or ignore Him completely. It's entirely up to you.
So this young man in Jesus's story sowed the seeds to provide for his family. He throws the seeds by hand here and there. So different from today. I can't imagine a farmer today in Australia going out to sow seeds by hand on an acreage of 5 to 10 acres. I don't think so. Not here we need total machinery.
Anyway, in Jesus's time, sowing and harvesting were totally done by hand.
Jesus's story continues:- So our young farmer in the story goes out throwing the seeds widely, around, hoping they will all grow nice and strong, and that he will be able to provide for his family.
Nice bloke! Grabbing a handful of seeds and throwing them around, obviously on pre-prepared soil. He must have accumulated lots of seeds in the winter to make a harvest possible. Anyway, he scatters the seeds here and there.
Some apparently fell along a well-worn path, and the wild birds of the time came along and had a real banquet. Well done, birdies! The farmer continues. Some of the seeds he was throwing around fell on some rocks; there wasn't much soil there, but the seeds sprang up pretty nicely because the soil was shallow. But the next day, the hot sun scorched the plant, and because they had no roots in the soil, they withered up and died.
So the story continues:- The farmer was throwing the seeds around, and he threw some among the thorn bushes. The thorn bushes and the wheat tried to grow together, but the thorn bushes choked the wheat.
Most of the seeds fell on great ground, and they sprang up and produced a crop one hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.
Jesus ended the parable by saying, "Whoever has ears, let them hear". Hmmm, interesting - what did Jesus mean in this story? The disciples thought the same thing, so when they retired somewhere for the night, they actually asked Jesus what he meant in the story he told about the sower and the seeds.
Jesus explains that the seeds mentioned are actually THE WORD of GOD; Interesting.
He further explained that the seeds on the path that got gobbled up by the birds are actually those of us who hear Jesus's words, but Satan comes along and stops us from listening, and we can't or won't believe! Is that you?
He continues:- The seeds that fell on the rocky ground are actually those of us who believe the message and receive it gladly WOOHOO! BUT... the plant root cannot grow because it is in a rock. In other words, when things go haywire in our lives, as it always does, they lose their faith and turn away from God.
He continues:- Then there is the good soil. The plants love the good soil, and they are like those of us who hear the Word of God, receive it into our lives in a good and positive way, open our hearts and lives to God, and actually bring others to Him.
Jesus was amazing, really. It makes today's world all sort of fall into place - Which soil are you? What soil am I?
We can't just pretend we are Christians. We can't go through life being good on Sundays and going to church and then being an absolute man or woman of the world through the week. We can't just ignore what God says in the Bible either. We can't just turn our backs on what Jesus did for us in granting us the possibility of eternity with Him, and how he died for us on that cross to take our sins upon Himself.
It is so very sad, but I know personally a young man who was so devoted to God and was also so friendly with a workmate. The workmate died horribly of cancer, and our young man told me that he had prayed for his friend, but when God didn't answer his prayers like He wanted Him to, he decided that he would turn away and now wants nothing to do with God.
That made and still makes me so, so sad. God answers our prayers, and sadly, often not in the way that we want. So many times we have prayed and yet our prayers seem unanswered.
When you consider what Jesus did for us all those years ago, taking our sins and actually killing them on the cross when He died so horribly and dramatically, then that to me is such an awesome and incredible way for our sins to be abolished and totally forgotten by God Himself. That is a total answer to all of our very needs regardless of what we may be going through right at this time.
In Psalm 37:4, it says, "Delight yourselves in the Lord. and he will give you the desires of your heart" - So many people often think that this verse means that God will give us whatever we think we want. But the main focus of this verse is "Delight yourselves in the Lord". When we actually delight ourselves in the Lord, it doesn't actually mean we get what we want all the time. What it does mean is that the desires of our hearts then match what God has in His plans for us.
Just a reminder that in each of our prayers, we should remember that part of the Lord's Prayer, Jesus Himself prayed, says: "YOUR WILL BE DONE". In other words, regardless of what we want or what we ask for, we should be aware that the will of God the Father should override any of our prayers, needs, and wants, and concentrate on what God is actually doing in our personal lives.
Do you want to come to Christ? Ask Him to come into your life and to lead you. Hand your life over to Him. Life can and will stay pretty ordinary, BUT the amazing thing is that our lives will be forever with our Lord and Saviour. That is so encouraging and so wonderful, and it will change our outlook altogether, knowing that we will be with our Lord and Saviour when our time comes.
Have a good day, and hope to see you next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment