Try, Try, and Try Again
Hello to all, I first off would like to offer my apologies to the readers who look at this. I have already failed on my promise to publish weekly. I will do my best to hold up from here on out. Which brings us to the topic of today.
The message is titled try, try, and try again because this is a concept that everyone deals with on a daily basis. The passage that we will have the pleasure of diving into today is Mark 4:13-19. For those of you who don't have a bible, I would suggest www.biblegateway.com, but I will also post the passage right here!
So here goes:
13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And
these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they
hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in
their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and
they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.
Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake,
immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and
the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires
for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”The first thing that we are going to look at is the statement of "How then will you understand all of the parables?"The bible doesn't include words that are meant to be distracting, Jesus used every part of His speech to bring glory to His father, our God. The concept behind this passage has its importance stressed here. In order to further understand the teachings of Jesus, we must grasp this concept, or else the true love that Jesus offers could be misconstrued.
Now in this passage a man is spreading seed, and often people will look at how a person should not be anything but the good ground. This is true, but what happens when we step back from the scope of ourselves? What if Jesus is calling to people to go out and do ministry, and giving an example of the types of people that we will come across in this journey?
The four types of people mentioned in the passage are as follows:
Side of the Road
Ones on Stones
Ones in Thorns
Ones in Good Soil
The side of the road is described in such a way that once they hear the word it is immediately taken away by the devil. This can be a difficult crowd to deal with, as it seems futile whenever you get to talk to them. People will often ask themselves, "Why even bother?" But that is one of the biggest reasons to try. Jesus sought after those that others gave up on, and so should we. Try, Try, and Try again.
The ones on the stones are deceptive if we aren't genuine in our pursuit of loving on others. Everyone enjoys that nice smile when you pass them, and Jesus wanted us to be the "lamps to the world" which in other words means that Jesus is so alive in you that others can't help but feel His joy and love when they are around you. These people on the stones that are described though will be super receptive when you first present the gospel to them, but they won't have the roots needed to further their faith. Don't give up on them, try, try, and try again!
Ones in thorns, these are some fun people that you will come across as well. They will hear you when you speak to them, and it will sink in. The problem is that they have so much going on in their lives that it will be difficult for the message to truly sink into them. Do not be discouraged by that though, as they are hearing you and want to do something with what you are telling them about, so try, try, and try again.
The last type of person mentioned are the ones in good soil. These people seem to be the best prospects. When you speak to them, and share the word with them, it will flourish and their lives will seem to also have an impact for God. These are the friends needed to help further and grow your calling to show the love of God. The warning offered is this though, be sure that these are not the only people you know, as ministry is to help encourage community. So try, try, and try again.
We have been called to minister and show the love of Christ to these people. At times it will be difficult and you won't see the fruition of the love you are trying to show. But that is why this is the parable of the sower. We are casting seeds for His greater love. How often do we as followers of Christ look Him in the face, say I love you, then turn away. Yet He still chases after us with passion and care. So let us exemplify that this week.
Thanks for reading.
God Bless.
