2011 January 8 - Morning Manna

A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried,  He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. (Luke 8:5-15).

Today's Morsel:  The parable of the sower touches just about everyone's life.  Jesus said that a sower went forth to sow seed.  The sower is born again believers.  We have been commissioned to go preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15-18). The seed is the word of God.  And the ground is the heart of man.  How many times have you shared Jesus with others and nothing happens or the person looks at you like you are from another planet?  This is because we oftentimes do not do anything to break up the fallow ground, or the heart of man, before we share the Gospel with them.  Many peoples' hearts are as hard as rocks, because they have been hurt, abused, lied to, misused, or cheated on.  Therefore, the first step is to break up the fallow ground.  Dirt is always softened with water.  The Holy Ghost in you is living water.  Therefore, you must use some of it to soften the ground before you can plant the seed (the Word).  The love, compassion, and kindness you show, can prepare the heart for the Word.  Offering words of encouragement, buying lunch, or offering to help whenever you can, can work wonders.  As Paul said, "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will" (2 Timothy 2:24-26).  Remember, your goal is to sow the seed in good ground so that it will bring forth fruit and be meet for the masters use.  Never plant if the ground isn't ready.  You will become frustrated and lose your joy.

Sing:  Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness, sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve; waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping, we shall come rejoicing, bring in the sheaves.

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, we shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.