Matthew 13:18-23 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 13:18-23 on biblegateway.com
Verse 18"Hear then the parable of the sower. Verse 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. Verse 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; Verse 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. Verse 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. Verse 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
Devotion
Many obstacles may keep God’s word from taking root in our lives. One hears the word but does not understand it; there is no depth of faith and at the first sign of trouble, the person falls away; or, the daily cares of life and the lure of wealth choke out the word.
In 1255 a priest, attempting to convert the Mongols to Christianity, lectured Mongke Khan on Christian doctrines. Khan replied, “We Mongols believe in one God, by Whom we live and Whom we die and toward Him we have an upright heart. To you God has given the Scriptures and you Christians do not observe them.” Khan said that Christians eagerly placed money ahead of justice.
Author William Sloan Coffin writes “So why are Christians so often joyless? … too often Christians have only enough religion to make themselves miserable.”
So let us hear the word, understand it and consider what it means to live as Christians in our world.
Prayer
Dear Lord, Thank you that you still sow the seed of your word in our world today. Help me to live in faith and trust. Amen.