Solid Foundatin Park 3

We concluded our series this past Sunday "40 Days in the Word" with part 6" How do I Integrate the Bible into my daily life?" You can listen to the podcast at http://www.wyandottefamily.com/listen.html or you can download it from iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wyandotte-family-church/id478735158  

We talked about on Sunday the importance of Building our lives on the Word of God. That is the first step in integrating the Bible into our lives. Yesterday’s blog was the 2^nd step which is living the Word of God. Let’s take a look at the third step.

#3—I grow through it.

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that the Bible is often referred to as a seed.  It’s planted in our hearts.  When the truth is planted our hearts, if it finds good soil, it grows and it produces fruit.  Remember, no root, no fruit.  God wants you to be fruitful in your life.  In order to have that you’ve got to have an open heart.  You’ve got to have a receptive heart.  You’ve got to have good soil in your life. 

The fourth verse that we looked at that we memorized earlier this month is Psalms 119:18 “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”

There are lots of wonderful things in the Bible but we can’t see them unless God opens our eyes.  Circle, underline or highlight the word “open” in Psalm 119:18.  Open means being receptive.  I’ve got to be open to the Word of God.  So if I’m going to become a woman of the Word or a man of the Word I’ve got to be open to it.  That means even when we don’t like it, we are open to it. 

Jesus told a whole story about this.  It’s in Luke 8 it’s called the parable of the sower or soils.  He says, a famer goes out and sows seed and it falls on four different kinds of soil and it gets four different kinds of results.  This represents four different attitudes that you can have toward the Bible.

I used to think that the four soils represent four different kinds of people.  They don’t.  They represent our attitudes (condition of our hearts) and on the same day I can have all four attitudes.  

1. The first is the hardened soil. 

The hardened soil represents a closed mind.  The hardened soil in this story represents a closed mind.  Sometimes we don’t even give God a chance to talk to us.  Our minds are made up, our hearts are hardened.  We’re not willing to listen.  I don’t want to hear what God has to say about my boyfriend.  I like my boyfriend.  So I don’t want to hear what God has to say.  I don’t want to hear what God has to say about my debt.  I don’t want to hear what God has to say about sex.  I don’t want to hear what God has to say about this or that because I’ve already got my mind made up. 

That is a closed mind.  And a narrow footpath is narrow and it’s hardened.  Some people are simply not open to what God has to say.  Their hearts are hardened to His Word and reality.

So the first action to growing through it is I must cultivate an open mind.  If I’m going to let God’s truth really change my life I have to be open to it.  I have to cultivate an open mind.

 

2. Then Jesus said the second kind of soil that the farmer throws seed on is the shallow soil. 

That represents the superficial mind.  Sometimes we react superficially to the Bible.  We go to church and say that was a good sermon.  I really liked that   That was good.  But we’ve forgotten it by the time we get to the parking lot.  We get excited, we react emotionally, we’re moved impulsively.  But we don’t really let it take the time to sink in.  It never really penetrates the bedrock of our personality.

So what is the action step if I don’t want to be superficial?  And I know you don’t.  You don’t want to be a superficial man.  You don’t want to be a superficial woman.  How do I have some depth in my life?  How do I get some roots in my life?  How do I get some spiritual maturity in my life? Here’s the second action step: I must make time for God’s Word. 

If I just do a quick little glance at it, I glance at it, I don’t gaze it, I don’t give it any time, then I can’t build any roots.  Roots take time to develop.  No roots, no fruits.  Busyness is a major barrier that keeps us from being a man of the Word or a woman of the Word.

3. A third soil is a soil with weeds. 

The soil with weeds represents a preoccupied mind.  In other words the seed God gives is the truth and he plants it in my mind and my heart and I go, yeah ok! And I let it sit there and it starts growing.  But then I let other things choke it out of my life – worry and busyness and money and job and all these other things.  And the weeds choke it out and I get preoccupied and I can’t really do anything with it.  All the circuits are busy in my life.  And that’s why I can’t hear God.

What’s the action step?  I must eliminate the distractions.  I must eliminate the distractions in my life. What things distract you from connecting with God in His Word?

4. Then finally Jesus says there’s a fourth kind; good soil. A willing mind.

A willing mind says, God, I’m willing to learn.  I’m teachable.  I’m humble.  I don’t think I know it all, so God, teach me.  The action step is to cooperate with what God says. 
 

That means, “God I don’t understand it all, but I’m going to trust you. I am going to cooperate.”

When our heart/attitude has good soil we find ourselves growing through it. We find ourselves changing simply because we are allowing God to change us on the inside.

What do you do if you don't have this kind of soil right now in your heart? Talk to God about it. Be honest. Share with you where you are at but pray and ask Him to lead you to where He wants you to be. Pray for a soft heart and willing mind. That is a great prayer to pray every morning before the day starts :)

 
 

Adapted from thoughts form Rick Warren and the 40 Days in the Word Campaign.

PS. This Sunday is the KICKOFF of our NEW series “Stories.” Come and hear Jeff Hlavin share from “Hippy to Happy.” We’ll also be debuting a NEW video story each week from someone in the WFC family.