I went to the Beth Moore Living Proof Live conference in my hometown of Louisville, KY a few days ago. Something Beth said in her discussion struck me and seemed to stick with me.
She read from Luke 8: 1-15
"After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, " 'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.'
"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."
She talked about how the average yield in Palestine was 7-15 times what was planted. So, while we have heard the phrase 'one hundred fold' many times and it is not very shocking to us, the original audience would have been astounded!
Imagine that you planted a garden, with a few spots for tomatoes. You expected there to be anywhere between 5-10 tomato plants. Afterall, multiple seeds could have been planted in the same hole. You leave to go on family vacation for a few weeks, and ask a neighborhood teenager to take care of the plants for you. When you come home, your yard had been taken over with 700 tomato plants!
We can have a spiritual harvest like that in our lives! That same power that is talked about in Luke 8 is available to us! If we are maakign sure that what is being planted in
our vineyards is God's Word, than our lives will be filled with God's blessings! Now, I'm not talking about health and wealth Gospel type of blessings, but the blessings that some from having a heart that longs for and seeks after God.
Christina
