Friday, February 22, 2013

Weekly Devotional - February 22, 2013

"Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it
and that produces a crop useful to those for whom
it is farmed receives the blessing of God."
Hebrews 6:7 NIV
 
My backyard is a low spot in our area. So low that water runoff from all Saline county pools there. OK, that's an exaggeration but it is true that puddles appear quickly after rain begins and they stay there a long time. Yesterday's rain was so heavy that at one point almost half the backyard was under water. The puddles that remain this morning will linger and keep Riley and me from playing ball for several days.
 
My grandfather was a soybean and cotton farmer. He looked for rain. Often his crops badly needed rain. When the rain came the fields would drink it up and the plants would perk up, too. When rain fell often, the harvest would be plentiful.
 
Jesus talked about a farmer who sowed seeds plentifully. Some fell on good soil and some fell on soil that would not sustain the crops. The farmer could not expect a harvest from the bad soil but they could expect it from the good soil.
 
Quality seed plus good soil plus adequately rainfall plus a hardworking farmer equals a good harvest. The seed is the word of God. The good soil is the receptive heart. The rainfall is the supernatural work of the Spirit of God. The farmer is the Christian living out the Lord's commands.
 
God promises to bless those who will trust Jesus as Savior and Lord. People will sometimes get confused about what blessings are. Lots of folks think that a blessed life means success in the boardroom, athletic arena, or classroom. They may gauge success by what's in the game room or garage or bank vault.
 
God's blessings may or may not involve worldly success but his blessings always involve knowing him better. Pray that God will bless you with his presence and deeper knowledge of him.

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