Church Launch: Our Part…Plant the Word!
Devotions this week based on the Message: “God’s Part…Our Part?”
“It doesn’t do any good if you don’t plant it!”
The packets of seeds in my garage are just that…packets of seeds.
The seeds have power to grow and produce food to eat, but the power remains bound up if they are never planted.
The last few devotions have highlighted the power of the Word of God – power to a) ground us in faith, b) guide us through life, and c) guarantee eternal life. This is what God has packed into his Word.
But it must be planted in the hearts of people.
Otherwise, it’s just a book on the shelf.
Remember Jesus’ parable:
Mark 4:26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
A man scatters the seed. This is our part.
God has given us the “seed packets” in order to scatter the Word on the ground of people’s hearts. Once it lands on the soil of a person’s hearts, that’s where God’s Spirit and the inherent power of the Word goes to work.
The farmer then brings in the harvest when it is ready.
The Word works when it is planted. The Word blesses when it is harvested.
Consider some of the fruit the Word produces…
Colossians 1:6 All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.
Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
It’s like picking beans, harvesting some melons, or pulling some carrots. The seeds work and grow. The harvest comes and we enjoy the fruit.
It’s a wonderful partnership that God has established. He’s given us the power of his Word to plant in the hearts of people. It grows. It develops. It produces fruit.
So don’t let the Word sit on your shelf. Plant it in your heart and scatter it to others.
Watch the power of the Word work and enjoy the fruit it produces.
Apply: Set aside each day time to plant a “seed” of the Word in your heart. Look for an opportunity to plant a “seed” with someone else.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the power of your Word to ground us in faith, guide us in in life and guarantee eternal life. Lead us to not leave the power on the shelf but plant it often and widely. Amen.
Church Launch: God’s Part: Words that Give a Eternal Lifetime Guarantee!
Devotions this week based on the Message: “God’s Part…Our Part?”
“Lifetime guarantee!”
Marketers put these two words on their product. It catches your attention. You choose the product with the guarantee (vs. another one without a guarantee) and think, “Great, I’ll buy it once and I’ll never have to but it again.”
Until you read the fine print.
“Guarantee only applies to original owner. Does not transfer.” (So it only covers the “life time” of you or the time you own it.)
“Guarantee does not apply if product damaged or broken by usage outside the normal use intended.”
“Guarantee does not apply if casing is opened up.”
“Guarantee does not cover shipping and labor needed to repair the product.”
So is it really a “Lifetime Guarantee”? Sometimes I wonder.
With the guarantees God makes, there are no caveats. He promises. He’s always faithful to his promise.
The Word is so trustworthy and powerful and timeless that there is no need for anything else.
The Word has the power to guarantee eternal life.
Nothing else can. Our effort? Never enough. Another religion? Leaves questions and uncertainty.
Only the message of grace through faith in Jesus communicated through the Word can guarantee eternal life for us and all in whom God works faith to believe.
On one occasion, Jesus’ teaching rubbed people the wrong way and many left him. He asked his disciples if they wanted to leave too. Peter responded: (John 6:68)
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
The Apostle Paul affirmed his friend Timothy: (2 Timothy 3:14-15)
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Why look any farther? The Word of God has power to guarantee eternal life. Why?
- God “owns” heaven. So he is the one that can promise it and is the one who guarantees it.
- It’s backed by the perfect life, innocent death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus.
A manufacturer will modify a guarantee so it sounds good, but might be very hollow. God would never do that. When he guarantees something, when he promises something, it WILL take place.
I guarantee it.
Apply: Look at the next product you see that has a “Lifetime Guarantee.” Then read the fine print…what are the caveats that would limit or negate that guarantee? How is God’s guarantee to you much more certain?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your truth and faithfulness. When you promise, I fully believe you will follow through. Thank you for the “eternal life guarantee” you have given to me in your Word! AMEN.
Church Launch: God’s Part…Word that has Power!
Devotions this week based on the Message: “God’s Part…Our Part?”
Mark 4:27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.
“I don’t know how. It did it all by itself.”
This sounds like an excuse I may have made as a kid when something I did broke something and I didn’t want to own up to it. I claimed ignorance and claimed I was not the prime mover behind the broken item.
Jesus is not a young man giving an excuse why something broke, he is teaching the reality of the power of the Word of God.
We can’t scientifically or psychologically dissect the sentences, words and letters of the Word of God and discern the power contained in them. We can’t look at the effect the Word has on the hearts and lives of individuals and claim we have some ability to aid the Word to do its work.
It would be as ridiculous as saying of a seed, “I broke it apart and pulled the little shoot out of the seed so it could grow.”
It does it all by itself. So does the Word.
So what does it do?
First, it GROUNDS us in faith.
Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
Can you diagram and dissect how the Word worked its way into your heart to lead you to believe the truth that Jesus is your Savior and all the Words of God are true? Probably not. Sure you might be aware of parents who shared God’s Word with you, a family member, or friend, but it’s difficult to identify how God changed your natural inclination to reject Jesus to now believe in him. But he did. The Word did. The truths of faith found in the Word have worked to GROUND you in your faith.
Second it GUIDES us through life.
There’s a useful power in the Word that is second to none. When God works conviction that Jesus is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” all the words God gives become useful for every aspect of life. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
How many times have we looked back in life after finding truth in God’s Word and thinking, “Wow, I wasted a lot of time trying to do life my way.” It’s time to let the power of the Word go to work to be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Tomorrow, one more important thing the Word of God does.
Apply: Some of the best practical wisdom of the Bible for life is found in the book of Proverbs. Centuries old, yet relevant today. Read through Chapter 23 of Proverbs today. What one proverb is worth memorizing and implementing in your life today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for packing the power of faith and power of life guidance in the pages of your Bible. Compel me to spend more time in the Word of God so the Word can do what it does all by itself inside of me. AMEN.
Church Launch: God’s Part…the Power of the Word
Devotions this week based on the Message: “God’s Part…Our Part?”
“There is power in the spoken word. There is longevity in the written word.
When the founders of this country wanted to come up with the things that would hold our country together, they didn’t just say it to each other, they wrote it down so it could have longevity and hold us together in the constitution. …
When God wanted humanity to understand his heart and his love towards them, he didn’t just say it, he inspired men to write it down so it could have longevity.
The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the Word of the Lord remains forever.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHi6WXg1C-U Time mark: 4:00-5:20)
These words were shared on Sunday, June 20, by Michael Todd, lead pastor at Transformation Church in Tulsa, OK who was a guest speaker at Life.Church in Oklahoma City, pastored by Craig Groeshel. He was speaking on the matter of relationships/marriage. In setting the foundation for building relationships God’s way, he made this statement about the power and longevity of the Word of God, spoken, AND written. (Yes, I enjoy listening to other pastors/preachers [not always WELS] to be fed, encouraged, stay connected to what is being shared in messages around the country and also to hone my craft as well!)
The point isn’t the source of this quote, but the content struck me for a couple of reasons.
- God’s love for us is so great that HE took the time to have written and preserve HIS truth for me.
- God’s Word of truth is timeless and has power to impact every person of every generation in every part of the world, including me.
This week in our message we focused on Jesus’ parable in Mark 4:26-29. The seed Jesus uses in the parable is the Word of God. What it does is amazing!
Mark 4:26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
God provided his word to us in both spoken and written form. It is inherently powerful. We don’t know how it works, but it affects change. Contained between the covers of the book or in the app on your phone is the power of God ready to go to work on your heart and mine. He wrote it down so that the same powerful words that sprouted and took root in the hearts of the Apostles to cause them to believe and drove them to share Jesus with the world are the same powerful words that sprout and grow in our hearts to lead us to believe and lead us to share the message of Jesus to others.
Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…”
I haven’t study biology to understand all the components of a seed, but yesterday as I ate a purple carrot out of the garden (yes, they have purple varieties), I paused to marvel that a tiny carrot seed has produced this great tasting carrot.
The power is in the seed. Jesus knew this and reminds us the power is in his Word!
Tomorrow: What does the Word have power to do?
Apply: Simply take your Bible. Page through it. As you do, pray this:
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for thinking enough of me to write down your words of truth, preserving them and presenting them to me. Like a seed, let your word sprout, take root, and grow in my heart and life. AMEN.
Happy Father’s Day!
Devotions this week based on the Message: “God’s Part…Our Part?”
Happy Fathers’ Day…a day late…but still worth recognizing!
For most it’s a day to celebrate the blessing of being a dad or recognizing the dad that has been part of your life. Even if your dad is gone, or you wish your experience and relationship with your dad was better, it is still an opportunity to thank God for the joys and challenges received in life connected to dad.
Dad’s, it’s a blessed and challenging day – at least I see it as both.
I am blessed to be the dad of two amazing young ladies. One is 17 and the other is 13. God has given them amazing minds, physical health, and faith in Jesus as Savior. I can’t think of anything more significant in my life than being a godly dad to these two girls.
But I’m not perfect. Ask my wife and my girls.
None of us dads is perfect. We do our best. If we are wise, we rely on God…A LOT!
No matter what our status is with our earthly dad, Father’s Day weekend is a good opportunity to be reminded of the tremendous blessing we have to be a child of our Heavenly Father.
In our Christian life of faith there are two places we often reference God as our Father:
- As we begin the Lord’s Prayer, and
- As we begin the Apostles’ Creed.
To expand on what we are praying and what we are confessing, Martin Luther in the 1500s wrote an “explanation” to each. I share them here and invite you as you read them to note the very special privilege we have to call God our Father and have him treat us as his dear children.
- Our Father who art in heaven.
What does this mean? With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.
- I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
What does this mean? I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, spouse and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.
These aren’t just statements to fill space, but statements worth reviewing, memorizing and remembering regularly.
We never want to forget the blessing we have to be able to call the God of the Universe, “Father.” We never want to forget the blessing that the God of the Universe call us “children”!
Apply: Reread the explanation to the address to the Lord’s Prayer and the first article of the Apostles’ creed. What stands out to you that helps you appreciate your relationship to your heavenly Father? Your earthly Father?
Prayer: Our Father, who art in heaven, thank you for being my Father and calling me your child. AMEN.