| The Parable of the Sower, Part 3 |
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| Written by David Lawrence |
| Monday, August 31 2009 00:00 |
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If you are still reading our devotionals after last week, then likely you are not the kind of person whose heart is as hard as a well-trodden path. You may fall in the second category of people described in the parable of the sower: the shallow soil. As Jesus explained the parable, this portion describes the situation of a person who hears the word and receives it with joy, but because he has no root, he quickly falls away in times of trouble or persecution (Luke says testing). His joy lasts only a short time. If you are this kind of person, then you are the kind of person who is never well grounded and established in the truths of Christianity. I mean, you do not really delve into the basis of our righteousness, the meaning of the atonement, the importance and means of sanctification, the place of suffering, the security we have in Christ, the true nature of God and of humanity, and the other significant dogmas of the faith. What you hear sounds fresh, exciting, and wonderful, so you get worked up, you bubble with joy and enthusiasm, you are a “super-Christian” who can’t wait to tell everybody about your new-found religion, and you last just until things don’t go quite as you expected. You weren’t anticipating any more bad times, any opposition, or any suffering. Suddenly, the joy is gone and you will walk away. You will then give rise to the idea that a true Christian can fall away, for someone will look at your life and say, “Well, I knew this person who was once so excited about Christ, and then he just walked away from him and never returned. So, you see, there is no eternal security.” But you never will have a root to your faith, and so it will never be saving faith, because saving faith always takes root and produces fruit. You will never stay long enough for that to happen. Thus I want to say to you, “STOP! MAKE SURE YOU SETTLE THINGS WITH CHRIST!” Make sure you trust in him alone for your salvation. Make sure this religion is more than a quick fix for spiritual doldrums, just an emotional high. Give your heart to Christ! If you do, you will immerse yourself in his word, and you will learn the fullness of his love, you will come to understand the length, breadth, depth, and height. You will work out your salvation in the crucible of Christian experience that will not always be emotional highs, but dealing with the problems of everyday life by the direction of the Holy Spirit. If you find yourself wilting just because things don’t go right, then question that you have truly laid hold on Christ! (To be continued) |
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