ANGLICAN DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL FOR JANUARY 19, 2023 (BE A SOWER)
TOPIC: BE A SOWER
TEXT: Matthew 13:1-17(NKJV)
1. On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.
2. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow.
4. “And as he sowed, some [seed] fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.
5. “Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
6. “But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
7. “And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
8. “But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
10. And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11. He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12. “For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13. “Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14. “And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive;
15. For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with [their] eyes and hear with [their] ears, Lest they should understand with [their] hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’
16. “But blessed [are] your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;
17. “for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous [men] desired to see what you see, and did not see [it,] and to hear what you hear, and did not hear [it.]
MESSAGE
In today’s passage, a Sower scatters seeds on different grounds which represent different types of the human hearts and dispositions. The seeds (word of God) which fell on the way side were eaten by birds; those that fell on stony ground did not have enough soil, so they were scorched and withered. Those which fell among thorns were choked and died while those which fell on good ground yielded good harvests. Proverbs 4:23 enjoins us to guard our hearts with all diligence because out of it flows the issues of life.
If you hear beautiful words of God and still associate with drunkards and the sexually-immoral or with hard-hearted people, the word will not bear fruit. If you want to be rich and associate with fraudsters, ritual killers and the corrupt, soon you will be choked, and the word of God in you will die. If you want to retain every word of God you read and hear, please separate yourself from those who can influence you negatively. Please think on things that are truthful, honest, just, virtuous, pure, lovely and worthy of praise (Phil, 4:8). Mediate on these things daily and preach the gospel today.
PRAYER: God have mercy upon me, and incline my heart to keep your words.
It is a life guide designed to enhance your spiritual growth and development by bringing you a fresh perspective from God’s word daily.
