wednesdays with luke

last night we continued onto luke 8 in our study.  

luke 8: 1-15 is Jesus' parable of the sower.  if you aren't familiar with this parable. click here to read.

after our listening to our lesson & discussing, the Lord really laid a few simple truths on my heart to ponder this week.  as i've been studying luke & learning more about Jesus' time here on earth, i've come to learn that i need to continuously ask myself & seek the answers to,  

"who is this Man & how am i going to respond to Him?"

after reading the parable of the sower & discussing the different "soils" in our study last night, our teacher talked about how the soil is the essence of any garden.  well folks, the garden i'm concerned about in this time of study is mine... my personal garden... my heart garden... the garden of my soul.

the simple truth that i took away from last night's study is this...

i must continuously be asking myself,

"how do i prepare the soil of my heart to receive & retain the Word & through perseverance bear fruit to the Glory of God?"

this is a daily must.  how am i preparing my heart to receive & retain God's Word, the God I proclaim to believe in & follow?  am i making it a priority in my life to spend time reading the Word? am i obediently applying what i learn from the Word to my life?  these are questions as a follower of Christ, that i MUST ask myself.  it's a lifelong journey that ultimately & continuously brings me closer to knowing Him more.

Eugene Peterson said the Christian life is "a long obedience in the same direction." 

if you are a believer or aren't sure or are completely against it, know this...

the Christian life doesn't mean it's always going to be easy. it's a lifelong journey. a journey of highs & lows, a journey of struggles & times of happiness, a journey of everything life throws at you... all with the God of the universe by your side.

it's a life of preparing & cultivating the soil of our hearts, so that throughout this ongoing journey of life, we can bear fruit to the Glory of God.   & the fruit my friends... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control... the fruit we bear from this perseverance to honor God is amazing & will affect you in a way that can't be described.  

the message puts it this way.

"but what happens when we live God's way?  He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way the fruit appears in an orchard - things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity.  we develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, & a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things & people.  we find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our wa in life, able to marshal & direct our energies wisely." - galatians 5:22-23 (the message)

p.s. -- if you've recently joined me, feel free to click here to read all of my wednesdays with luke entries.

have a wonderful evening!!!

-aw