Continuing form yesterday...
If you want to hear God speak to you, you must cultivate an open heart.
STEP #2. ALLOCATE TIME TO LISTEN
I must make time to be quiet and sit still and listen to God. You've got to allocate time if you want to hear God speak. v. 6 "Other seed fell on shallow soil [circle this] with rock beneath. This seed began to grow but soon it withered and died for lack of moisture.”
v. 13 is Jesus' interpretation, "Those on the rock are the ones who receive the Word with joy when they heard it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing, they fall away.”
Jesus says the shallow soil represents a superficial heart. This is the impulsive person who reacts emotionally when they hear a sermon or a message. They get excited but they never let the word of God sink into their life.
How is it possible for somebody to come to church year after year and never be changed? They just walk out the front door and forget what they heard. You see, if I don't let the message sink into my life I never allow God's word to penetrate the bedrock of my personality. It doesn't sink in.
One of the most successful crops in the United States is alfalfa because alfalfa roots often go down twenty to thirty feet. They can handle the heat. How do you know if you've got roots? You can handle the heat. How do you know if you're a shallow Christian or not? How do you handle the difficulties in life? How do you handle it when things don't go right?
What must you do to develop staying power and perseverance and character in life? You get roots! How do you get roots? By spending time daily with God's word. It just takes time. Allocate daily time in God's word. Then you can handle the heat - you'll be able to handle all the trials that life throws at you.
If you want to hear God speak, cultivate an open heart, allocate time to listen.
STEP # 3. ELIMINATE THE DISTRACTIONS
If you really want to hear God there are some things you're going to have to cut out of your life. The fact is we often miss God's voice when our mind is crowded with other thoughts, other plans, other ideas, other goals, other activities. Our mind gets so full we can't hear God speak.
v. 7 "Other seed fell among thorns which grew up with it and choked the plants."
v. 14 Jesus' interpretation, "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 don't mature."
Here Jesus is talking about the seed that gets into the ground but weeds come up and choke the plant. Jesus said that the soil with weeds represents a preoccupied heart and life. I'm just too busy to hear God. I've got so many things going on in my mind I can't hear Him because He's crowded out. The seed sprouts but there is no fruit because it's choked out, suffocated by weeds.
There are so many voices calling out for your attention, clamoring for your focus. As a result, we're not fully committed to anything, because we're partially committed to this, and that, fifteen different things.
Jesus says if you want to hear God speak to you, you've got to eliminate some of those distractions. He talks about three kinds of weeds. First, there are life's worries. Those are the problems, the pressures, anything we try to solve without God's help.
Then, riches can take up all our time. Bills, budgets, investments, careers -- all of those can crowd into our life and we can get so busy making a living we do not have time to make a life. It becomes a weed and chokes out God.
A third thing He says is pleasures. Even good things can become a weed in your life when recreation takes priority over worship. When my hobbies, my cabin, my boat get in front of God then they become a god. Jesus says watch out. He says a weed is anything that robs my time with God. It's a misplaced priority.
If you want God to talk to you -
STEP #4. COOPERATE WITH WHAT GOD SAYS
God speaks to the person who has predetermined in advance to do whatever He tells him.
v. 15, the good soil "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.” How do you retain the word of God in your life? You memorize it - you live it – you put god's word into practice in your life.
The good soil represents a responsive heart, the heart that says, “Lord, I'm willing to do whatever you want me to do in advance.” When you take that attitude, then you're tuned in. God will start speaking to you! When you take the attitude of “Whatever it takes: I'm willing to eliminate the distractions, allocate the time, cooperate in advance and I've got an open heart,” God speaks!
The result: You bear fruit. You produce a crop. You're productive. Your life is worthwhile. It's significant.
Ponder these things today. I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course. ENDURE!
No comments:
Post a Comment