For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
There are times when we can be productive and gather for our needs. The wise work hard during those times. Those who sleep when they have such opportunities are a disgrace.
There are many wise statements in this psalm. However today two of them strike me the strongest:
than to be evil and rich.
And
The wicked borrow and never repay,
but the godly are generous givers.
I will hold these two thoughts close to my heart as I consider my day.
When Jesus says that those who do the will of God are His brother, and sister, and mother I have always taken it to mean that if I do God’s will I am part of His family. This is true, but it also means that if I am a member of Jesus’ family anyone else who does God’s will is a member of my family. That means it is my responsibility to help them in any way that is within my ability and that I should be able to count on their help when I am in need. All too often we in the Church today fail to live as a family.
In the past when I have read the parable of the farmer scattering seed, I have always thought about which type of soil am I? Am I the shallow soil? Showing enthusiasm at first and then losing interest when the going gets tough? Or am I the soil with the thorns? Where the concerns of this life choke out my witness? Or, maybe, I am the good soil? But have I really yielded a ten-fold or hundred-fold harvest? Those are questions which can help us evaluate our lives and see where we need to make changes.
However, it struck me that there is another way we should look at this parable. When we witness to those around us we should think about what type of soil they are. If they are the footpath, we should pray that God break up the surface so that the seed can take root and grow. If they are the shallow soil, we should work with them to attempt to dig those rocks out so that the seeds can grow to full maturity. If they are the soil with thorns, we should help them weed. And if they are the good soil, we should strive to plant as much seed as possible so that the harvest may be great.
There is one mistake we must not make. We must not think that because someone is the footpath there is no reason to spread seed there. Because even the footpath may have a spot where the seed can take root. As I think about this, I think about sidewalks I have seen where a plant grows up between the cracks. Over time, that plant may break up the sidewalk, allowing other plants to grow through other cracks. In the same way, if we spread the seed of the Gospel among those who appear to us to be hardened “footpath”, perhaps one of those seeds will take root, breaking up that hardened soil and turning it into good soil. Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit and remember, it is not possible to overestimate that power.
I was going to stop there, but I had a thought about the parable of the lamp which I think is relevant here. There is an aspect about attempting to hide a lamp that I have often overlooked because we use electric lights today. If you put try to hide the type of lamp Jesus was talking about by putting it under a basket or a bed (especially the baskets and beds Jesus would have been thinking of), there is a significant chance that the basket or the bed will catch fire.
The priests were to be given a share of the offerings which the people brought to God. This is a model for us today. It is appropriate that a portion of the money we donate to doing the work of the Lord go to pay those who actually carry out that work.