Seed Story #6: A Circular Parable

by:  Staci Stallings

Now we get to one of the coolest insights into our seed stories, but stay tuned because they don’t even end here!

We’ve been studying Luke 8:4-15

“He spoke by way of a parable: ⁵ “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. ⁶ Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. ⁸ Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

⁹  His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. ¹⁰ And He said, “ To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

¹¹ “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. ¹² Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴ The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”

Now instead of reading this as a single parable, I want you to go deep and see that it is not a single parable, but a circular parable.  That is one reason I have been a little “scattered” myself in talking about it.  Why?  Because we are both the soil and the sower!

You see, it works something like this:

A seed is planted by a sower:

Simple enough, right?  You have seeds.  You plant them.  You water them, nurture them, protect them, and… then they sprout:

Now you wait, water, nurture, protect, and they begin to grow:

Eventually if given the right time to grow and the right nurturing, what happens?

They produce their own seed:

This is where our parable becomes circular.  See, at one time you were the soil where the Jesus Seed was planted, and He grew up in your life and His presence changed you.  When He grew up and died, His seed was joined with your life to create not a single plant but multiple plants!

Notice how the stalk of wheat has many seeds?  That’s what happens in believer’s life.  It might start off looking little, insignificant and pitiful.  But if that single Jesus Seed is allowed to grow, it becomes many Jesus Seeds that can then be spread into different soil–other people’s lives.

And at that point, you somehow continue to be the soil where new Jesus Seeds are planted and you become the sower into other people’s lives by sharing what has been given to you!

So you are the soil, and you should take your cue from that part of the story for the seeds Jesus is planting in your heart.  Be open.  Let Him clear your soil.  Nurture the seeds that are planted there, and when they are fully grown, embrace now being a sower who goes out and spreads the Jesus Seeds that have grown in your heart to everyone!

*~*

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Seed Story #5

by:  Staci Stallings

Finally we’ve made it to that last type of soil.  First, here’s our story from Luke 8:4-15 once again:

“He spoke by way of a parable: ⁵ “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. ⁶ Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. ⁸ Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

⁹  His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. ¹⁰ And He said, “ To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

¹¹ “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. ¹² Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴ The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”

We’ve examined the seed fallen to the path, in the rocky soil, and into the thorns.  Now we turn our attention to the seed that falls on the good soil.

When you scatter Jesus Seed, some will fall on people who are ready to receive it.  This may be people who have been in the church for a long time or people who have never been to a church.  I think one of the things that can make “good soil,” is if someone has been bad soil for a long time and is just sick of being miserable.

I know that’s how I was when “Grace Walk” and “The Ragamuffin Gospel” came into my life.  I was sick of being miserable.  I was tired of being burned out and ready to try something different.

Interestingly recently I have noticed two friends of mine who have physical issues.  They have tried some things to get well that haven’t worked–or haven’t worked as well as they wanted them to.  A new type of healing treatment has also recently come our way, but they are both skeptical and wary.  Why will this work when the others haven’t?  How much will it cost?  How much time will it take?  Will I have to go back or can they fix it with one visit? I want a guarantee or I don’t even want to try it.

In a way, it’s almost humorous (if they weren’t really in physical pain).

Twice in my life, if you don’t count all the physical things I’ve been through, have I tried one thing after another after another that seemingly “didn’t work.”  The first would be with my spiritual life.  I did a lot of things that were supposed to be Christian, and they ended up burning me out.  The good news is, I didn’t quit searching for the answer that turned out to be the Answer!  I kept trying, kept reading, kept searching until I found that treasure buried in the field.

The other challenge was with my son’s dyslexia.  When I found a program, I got it.  When that didn’t work, I tried physical cures.  When that didn’t work (and God showed up to show me how to help his little eyes), I tried that.  Had that not worked, I would still be trying something new.  Does everything work?  No.  But just because something didn’t work before doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try something new.

To me, that’s being good soil.  It doesn’t mean everything’s going to grow with no tending and no effort.  It means you are open and soft and receptive to what God is putting in your life.

As a sower, these types of people are often easier to deal with–though they will come with plenty of hidden rocks and thorn bushes as well.

So for today, resolve to be good soil.  Open yourself to the possibility of hope and the hope of love.  Experience the transformation that God can make in a life open to Him and His Word.  Plant a Jesus Seed.  Nurture it.  Take care of it.  Watch it grow and multiply in your life.  You will be glad you did!

*~*

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Seed Story #4

by:  Staci Stallings

We’ve been talking about Jesus as the Seed in some of the stories in the Bible.  Right now, we are specifically focusing on the story of the seed that is scattered and lands in different places and the lessons this story gives us for we who are “sowers” of the seed.

Here is the story from Luke 8:4-15:

“He spoke by way of a parable: ⁵ “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. ⁶ Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. ⁸ Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

⁹  His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. ¹⁰ And He said, “ To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

¹¹ “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. ¹² Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴ The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”

So far we have looked at the first seed scattered that landed on the road and the second that landed in the rocky soil.  Let’s look today at the third seed that landed among the thorns, and when it grew up, the thorns choked it out.

For parent-sowers, I think this one is incredibly important.  That whole “be careful of your friends for you will go the direction they do” is a direct reflection of this verse.  You see, some of the Jesus Seed here landed in good soil.  It was so good that it raised thorn bushes–weeds that grew with no tending at all.

Now I live in Texas where very few things will grow without tending them.  One of the things that will grow without tending is ironweeds (the things that turn into tumbleweeds!).  Ironweed seed must be indigenous to our soil or something because if you don’t plant something in a field, guess what?  You’ve got ironweeds.

Also, there’s a reason they call them “iron” weeds.

When I was young, we had pigs… and a lot of ironweeds.  One of my jobs on the farm was to go out and chop ironweeds every day to feed to the pigs.  I’m assuming the pigs ate them, but that wasn’t part of my job.  No, instead, I took a wagon about the size of a small wheelbarrow and I was to fill it with weeds.

Now finding the ironweeds was not a problem as they were EVERYWHERE.  If you didn’t drive there, walk there, or specifically plant something else there, the ironweeds would take over.

At first in the early Spring and Summer, they weren’t too hard to chop.  The stalks were relatively soft.  But, let me tell you, as the season went on, those things lived up to the name “iron.” I could chop, pull, push, chop, yank, pull, and they STILL wouldn’t come out!

So when I think of this verse, I always think of the ironweeds rather than thorns (as we didn’t have any of those).  But here’s the other thing about the ironweeds.  If you weren’t careful, they would take over something you wanted to grow in a heartbeat.  A vegetable garden?  Better pull those ironweeds when they are little.  Flowers?  Oh, yeah, in no time your little flower patch would be full of ironweeds.  Even fields of cotton.  If you’ve ever heard about people “chopping cotton,” you can pretty much guess that most of what they were chopping out was ironweeds.

In life, we have our own ironweeds.  They are those little shoots that we don’t even see half the time until they are so rooted in our soil, we can hardly pull them out.  Bad habits fall in this category.  Things like overeating and alcohol can too.  Maybe at first these don’t even seem like a problem, and then they start taking over.

From the sower’s perspective, much like the rocks, you are going to have to de-thorn the soil around your seeds.  Notice that thorns are different than rocks.  Rocks are inherent in the soil, but thorns “grow up” around the seeds in what is otherwise good soil.  These are things that “just happen” in life.  Maybe your seeds are doing really good–you’ve taken out the rocks of unforgiveness and anger, but then “life happens.”  You get busy.  You get tired.  You get stressed.

These are the weeds.

For kids (and us too), the weeds can be the influence of our friends.  “Why do you go to church?” “Stop being a goody-goody.”  “That’s so old-fashioned. Get with the times.”

These “weed” influences must be dealt with.  You can’t wish them away or hope them away.  They, like those old ironweeds on my parents’ farm, need to be pulled up, chopped down, and gotten rid of however you can.

What are some of your rocks?  What are some of your weeds?  And what are you doing about them with your Father’s help?

*~*

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Seed Story #3

By:  Staci Stallings

We’ve been taking a look at the Bible parable about the seeds scattered by the sower in light of understanding that Jesus Himself is the seed.

Last time we looked at the seed that was scattered on the hard road, how it got trampled and the birds ate it.  Remember as well how we said that in the story you are both the sower and you can be the receiver–the road or the other places we will talk about.

Let’s now continue with our discussion by first reviewing the Bible verses.

The story comes from Luke 8:4-15

“He spoke by way of a parable: ⁵ “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. ⁶ Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. ⁸ Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

⁹  His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. ¹⁰ And He said, “ To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

¹¹ “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. ¹² Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴ The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”

Let’s look at the second place the seeds can go when you scatter them.  We see this in verse 6:   “Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.”

From the sower’s perspective, I think this one is particularly interesting in light of how some Christians “spread the word.”  They take sharing their faith as a one-shot deal.  Think of a big revival in town.  The revivalist comes to town, jazzes everybody up, and then what?  He leaves.

Now there is a place for this jolt of excitement, but if all you get three nights of wonderful followed by weeks, months, or years of awful, how long are you going to stick with it?

Hebrews 3:13 says that we should “encourage each other daily.”  I think these two verses are linked from a sower’s perspective.  When you spread Jesus Seed, you can’t just toss it out there and let it fend for itself.  It must be tended!

Remember in our opening discussion how the farmer tended the field but hadn’t planted anything?  Well, this is the opposite problem–planting and not tending.

For example, how would this part of the parable have ended differently if it had gone:

Other seed fell on the rocky soil, but the sower took pains to clear the rocks away and make the soil suitable for the seed to grow.  The sower then watered and fertilized the seed… until it grew up strong and matured.

See, I think this is where our ministry breaks down oftentimes.  We scatter the seed–say we teach Sunday School.  But by the next year we have a whole new crop of kids, and we’ve forgotten the ones from last year’s names!  That is one of the lessons, I think, from this verse.

And let me tell you from experience, clearing those rocks out is not a fun nor a short process.  It takes getting down in the soil.  It takes listening and forgiving and wisdom.  It can take years.

I have two friends (okay, I have more than that, but these two are different).  I met them both about the same time.  Strangely, they both began to really latch onto God’s love for them (neither feeling guilty about it nor rejecting it) at about the same time–7 years into our relationships!  It took that long to clear their soil of the yuck and rocks of their pasts.  Being a sower means more than scattering some seeds.  It also means being and becoming a good farmer–with your Father’s help.

Rocky soil is also very different than the road.  Roads are hard.  Yes, they can be broken up and the hardness taken away, but it is much more difficult.  Rocks in our field might be holding unforgiveness toward another or toward ourselves, it might be stupid choices we have made that caused others pain, it might be trying to climb the wrong ladder thinking that will bring us success, it might be worldly living, or not living at all.  Rocks can be removed and they must be for the Jesus Seed to have a chance–both in the lives of others and in our own lives.

There is another verse in Job that talks about a tree planted in rocks.  As the rocks are removed, the tree falls because it was never forced to put its roots down deeply into the soil.  Same principle.  We have to let the Jesus Seed in our lives “get past the rocks.”  It must dig deeply into our soil and change us.

Or it will do as little good as that revival that is here and gone never to be seen again.

*~*

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Seed Stories #2

by:  Staci Stallings

We’ve been talking about Jesus as the Seed in Biblical terms — how you have to plant the right seed for the right kind of crop to grow.

Let’s now look at another parable you may be familiar with.

The story comes from Luke 8:4-15

“He spoke by way of a parable: ⁵ “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. ⁶ Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. ⁸ Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

⁹  His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. ¹⁰ And He said, “ To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

¹¹ “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. ¹² Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴ The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”

We are going to break this down over the next couple of times because there are a lot of lessons packed in this one little parable.

First, recall that the “seed” is the Word of God, which is Jesus.  Also recall that we are the sowers.  We sow the Seed of God in our lives, in our work, in our families, in our churches, etc.

To me, one of the initial lessons of the parable is this: Don’t get discouraged.  Why?  Because when you are sowing God’s Seed, it’s going to look like a LOT of it is wasted.  Notice that if you take this as if each “set” of seeds is 1/4 of the whole, then 3/4’s of the seed is gone by the time harvest gets here.

So as you, the sower, are sowing God’s seed, don’t get discouraged that it doesn’t all come up.  Don’t feel like a failed sower because it doesn’t all work.  God is telling you in this parable, “Look, I know it’s not all going to work.  In fact, I’m looking at a 25% success rate as bringing about an abundant harvest.  So don’t think every seed you sow will sprout.  Just keep sowing.”

Now let’s look at the first seed…

“as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up.”

Sometimes we sow God’s Seed and it “falls” from our hands.  We are not careful with it.  That’s going to happen if you are sowing.

For example, you are out there sowing and the day has grown long and you are weary.  Then some unlovable someone comes up and says something that piques your anger.  In a perfect world, one in which we do not live, you as the sower would be able to react in perfect love back to this unlovable someone.  But you and I both know, despite our best intentions that doesn’t always happen.

We get careless or tired, and we scatter the seed that was meant to be carefully planted.  And what happens to it?  It is trampled under foot or the birds eat it up.  In short, it’s ruined.

I think God is saying, “You are not going to get everything right.  Seed is going to fall on places you did not intend.  That’s okay because it means you are out there trying.”

Let me ask you this… which is better to have some of the seed you are carrying fall because of carelessness or to have no seed with you at all?

So for those times you have been careless with God’s Seed in your life, realize that God understands.  And He will forgive you.

Further, the parable goes on to explain not from the sower’s perspective but from those receiving the Word/Seed that is being scattered.  Those who are receiving the Seed that are on the road, are those hardened souls who do not receive any good thing.  But notice that the sower still scatters the seed over them.  Yes, the devil takes it away, yes, they ultimately choose not to believe and are not saved.  But this is not the fault of the sower–only of the receiver.

So you know that unlovable someone we talked about.  Just because they are as hard as a road doesn’t mean you shouldn’t scatter some Jesus Seed on them because frankly, that’s what the sower is commissioned to do.  His is not to decide who gets the seed, who might be worthy or unworthy, or even whose life the seed will produce more seed.  His job is to scatter the seed as well as He can and let God worry about the rest.

*~*

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Seed Stories #1

By:  Staci Stallings

Last time we talked about how important it is to plant a seed if you want something to grow.  You not only have to plant a seed, you have to plant the right seed.  Planting a corn seed and expecting wheat to grow isn’t any more logical than planting no seed and expecting something to grow.

So in our lives, we need to be conscious of planting the Jesus Seed at the center of everything we do–in our work, in our homes, in our lives.  If we don’t plant it and the nurture it, why would we expect it to grow or even be there?

In fact, in Luke 8:11, God points this lesson out in very direct language:  “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.”

And we know from the beginning of John WHO the Word of God is:  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. ⁴  In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. ⁵  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

The Word was/is Jesus.  So the seed is Jesus as well.

Several stories in the Bible point to lessons about seeds, and if you take it a step further and recognize that JESUS Himself is the seed, they become even more powerful and thought-provoking.

Let’s take one such example from a Bible verse.

2 Corinthians 9:10
“Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”

He refers to God and the seed to Jesus.  You are the sower.

Now again, I don’t know how much you know about farming, but see if you can follow this line of thinking.

I want to plant a crop, let’s say it’s a wheat crop.  If I plant “a” wheat seed, how much wheat will I have when my harvest happens?

One stalk of wheat, right?

So what do I do if I want a “large” harvest?  Not just plant one seed, right?  I have to plant a LOT of seeds if I want a big harvest!

So this verse says that God is going to supply a sower who is intent on spreading the Word of God with A LOT of seed, and He will seek to increase the harvest of your righteousness!

That means… “Dude, don’t be stingy with your seed!  God’s going to give you A LOT of it!”

In the forgiveness realm this is akin to 70 X 7.  Infinity times infinity times ten.

Luke 6:38 says:  “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

Both verse are saying the same thing:  Don’t be stingy with the seed (the Word of God, Jesus) that you have been given!  Give it out!  Use it!  Plant it!  Nurture it!

The more you plant, the more you will be given to plant.

In fact, if you know about things like wheat, you know that a plant will produce many seeds.  So each seed you plant will produce more.

This is one of the things I think is so very cool about God–He is infinite, abundant, overflowing with good things, and He’s standing at the ready to put all those good things in your life, if you will just have enough faith to start planting some Jesus seeds!

*~*

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The Jesus Seed

By:  Staci Stallings

Here is an interesting concept, but first, we’re going to look at a scenario you’re going to find humorous.

A farmer decides that he wants to grow corn.  So he goes out into his field, and he forms all the furrows.  He waters the field because he’s been told he must do so in order to yield a crop.  He makes sure that he starts watering in the Spring because he’s heard that’s the best time to raise a crop.  He fertilizes the soil because he’s heard you should do that if you want good corn.  He waters it some more and puts on some bug killer because he doesn’t want the bugs to come and destroy his crop.

He waits, and soon something starts coming up–a bunch of weeds.  Angry, he goes out and starts hoeing the weeds.  He hoes from sun up to sun down, row after row after row.  When he’s finished, he looks out over his field and is incredibly disappointed.  He’s done everything right and still no corn!

So he increases the water and keeps chopping at the weeds.  After all, that’s what the farmer down the road did and this worked great for him.  The farmer keeps this up all summer, but when harvest time arrives, he is incredibly frustrated.  Why didn’t his field produce any corn?

Go ahead.  Answer the question.

Why did this farmer’s field not produce any corn?

Right.

Because he didn’t plant any!

Now this is going to sound ridiculously simple, but if you don’t plant a seed, I don’t care how much you work and tend that field, you are not going to get a crop.

So I’m going to ask you–have you ever worked to get a crop but forgotten to plant a Jesus Seed first?

In the book I’m reading, “How People Change” by Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp, the idea of Jesus as seed is touched upon. Strangely maybe, I have never had cause to think of Jesus this way, but if you start with that metaphor and look at the Bible stories and parables about seed, it will illuminate many new insights.

You see, I don’t care what “crop” you are wanting to grow, without Jesus at the center of it, you’re watering and weeding a crop that is never going to show up.  And if it does, it will feel very empty and will almost certainly lead you to death rather than life.

Really.  Look at some of the news stories of the past couple years.  Bernie Madoff for example.  He wanted money, and he scammed and lied and cheated.  Clearly he forgot to plant the Jesus Seed first.  Instead, he did what the world said would give him what he wanted, and he ended up with a field full of weeds.

Look at some of the stars that have gone off the deep-end.  They wanted fame and fortune. They watered their talent and let the sun shine on their careers, but when the weeds showed up and took over, they had no defense against them.  The crop of fame and fortune turned to bitterness and regret.

If you want change, if you want a great crop, you have to start with a Jesus Seed.  You must plant HIM in the middle of your field.  The dreams with Him in the center may not bring you where you thought you wanted to go, but they will always bring you where you were always meant to be.

To plant your Jesus Seed, seek His will for your life, put your desires in His hands and take the steps He’s asking you to take when He asks you to take them.  Yes, there will still be watering and weeding to do, but the Seed of Goodness is the key to having an abundant crop that will lead to a life you cannot even imagine right now!

*~*

He thought he had life all figured out,

then she showed up…

A Little Piece of Heaven

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In The Temple, Part 3

by:  Staci Stallings

First let us look at the actual Scripture for our discussion (from Luke 2:41-50):

[41] Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. [42] When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. [43] After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. [44] Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. [45] When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. [46] After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. [47] Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. [48] When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

[49] “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” [50] But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

I want you to notice, and ponder in your heart as Mary did, the significance of the timing of this story.  It is Passover.

Not just “a feast,” or some other random celebration.  This story occurs at Passover.  At this time Jesus is 12, but I want you to simultaneously fast forward 21 years to a second Passover–the Last Supper.

During the second Passover we are given front row seats as Jesus celebrates Passover with His disciples and then leaving the meal, goes out first to the Mount of Olives and then to the Garden of Gethsemane, where His friend, Judas, will betray Him.

I no longer see these two Scriptures as separate.  They are woven tightly together if you just look a little closer.

First, it is the next day, which would be Friday, that Mary and Joseph “lose” Jesus.  Flash forward.  It is also Friday that the disciples “lose” Jesus when they run away and Jesus dies on a cross.

The text says that Mary and Joseph traveled for a day before they realized what had happened.  Quite likely it was at the end of that first day (Good Friday) that the disciples realized what they had lost as well.  Mary and Joseph then ask around and begin their trek back to Jerusalem.

If it took a day to get away from Jerusalem (Good Friday), then it would take another day to get back to Jerusalem.  That would be Saturday.

Imagine the worry and fear of Mary and Joseph!  They have lost the Messiah!

Imagine the worry and fear of the disciples!  They, too, have lost the Messiah!

And then, on the third day (see the obvious parallel here?), Mary and Joseph find Jesus… in the Temple, in His Father’s house.

It is at this point that the two stories diverge but in an interesting way.  Why?

Because the disciples don’t find Jesus in the Temple.  Instead, Jesus comes to where they are.

From The Message Bible, Luke 24:36-59

^36-41While they were saying all this, Jesus appeared to them and said, “Peace be with you.” They thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death. He continued with them, “Don’t be upset, and don’t let all these doubting questions take over. Look at my hands; look at my feet—it’s really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn’t have muscle and bone like this.” As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. They still couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true.

 ^41-43He asked, “Do you have any food here?” They gave him a piece of leftover fish they had cooked. He took it and ate it right before their eyes.

You’re the Witnesses

 ⁴⁴Then he said, “Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled.”

 ^45-49He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way. He said, “You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations—starting from here, from Jerusalem! You’re the first to hear and see it. You’re the witnesses. What comes next is very important: I am sending what my Father promised to you, so stay here in the city until he arrives, until you’re equipped with power from on high.”

So although Mary and Joseph must go back to find Jesus, the disciples on the Sunday of the Resurrection are startled when Jesus is suddenly in their midst.  And not a ghost Jesus or a spirit Jesus, but a real, live, flesh-and-bones-can-eat-fish Jesus!

Where is Jesus for you?  Is He in the Temple of your heart?  Is His presence known in your life?  Do you need to seek Him?  Has He ever “just appeared”?

The truth is:  Everyone needs these stories.  Everyone needs to understand.  But it can’t be from a “head” witness, it must be from a heart witness.  The awesomeness of God must be experienced to be professed and proclaimed.

So if your Christian walk has been reduced to spouting some nice, sounding platitudes, please take some time.  Go in your heart and ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you–not words on a page, but the Word made flesh and dwelling inside you.

When that happens, the Temple will be made right in your heart, you will share in Jesus’ Resurrection, and your life will never again be the same again!

*~*

Can Keith defy the two most powerful men in Texas to follow his heart?

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In The Temple, Part 2

by:  Staci Stallings

In the first part of “In the Temple,” we looked at how Mary and Joseph lost Jesus after the Passover Feast, and it took them three days to find Him.  When they did, they found Him in the Temple, listening, asking, and even doing a little teaching.  Mary was angry and said, “How could you do this to us?” To which Jesus said, “Did you not know I would be in My Father’s House?”

The second thing that blew me away when I heard this story recently was this… where did they find Jesus?  “In the Temple,” right?

Well, that doesn’t just mean in some building in Jerusalem.  Here let me show you a few verses and see if you get what I got:

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.  ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — ¹⁷the Spirit of truth.  The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17).

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you” (Romans 8:11).

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” (Ephesians 3:16)

Did you get that?

The Temple where God lives now is not some building in Jerusalem.  The Temple… is YOU!

Because of the sacrifice of Jesus and because He sent His Spirit to live in you, God’s home on earth has become your heart.  Any Christian, Child of God, is now the Temple on earth.

So what does that mean with regards to this Scripture?  Think about it.  Mary and Joseph went back and Jesus tells them, “Hey, where else would I be?  My place is in My Father’s house, the Temple” (i.e. your heart!)

But here’s something even cooler.

Notice what Jesus was doing in the Temple (and what He continued to do in the Temple throughout His ministry).  He was listening and answering questions and teaching.

That’s what He does inside each and every one of us.

He listens.

Do you think no one understands or cares?  Jesus does, and He’s right there in your heart, ready to listen.

He answers.

Are you confused, stressed out, and anxious about the unknowns in your life?  Listen to the answers Jesus is giving you in your own heart.

He teaches.

So many of us do not understand the purpose of this life, which is to learn and grow in God.  It is through this life that He teaches us–how to love, how to forgive, how to trust, how to become what He meant for us to be.

Without the trials and the setbacks, without the moments of confusion and concern, Jesus would have no way to teach us how His light can shine in our darkness.

The point of this story is that Jesus is STILL in the Temple–listening, answering, and teaching us!  And as per, Part 1, if we feel distant from Him, all we have to do is go back to the Temple (our hearts!) to find Him.

Now that’s cool!

*~*

She didn’t believe in herself until he showed her how.

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