Tag: Patience

Easy Pickings

~ Sowmya Gali

Luke 8: 5

“The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up.

Jesus, in this parable sets off narrating about a farmer or sower who goes out into the field to sow some seeds. As he picks a few seeds from the bag, some slipped and fell on the side of the path. The farmer didn’t stop to pick them up or sow them in. Instead, he walks on. These seeds are now exposed to the elements: exposed to blazing sun, incessant rain, birds, rodents, insects, etc.  With no firm ground to take root, they tend to die off.

The disciples were perplexed when they heard this Parable. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, begins to explain to them. He compares the seeds that fell on the side of the road, the ones which neither had the right conditions to begin germination nor a stronghold to latch onto, to people who hear the Word of God but become easy pickings to the evil one due to their loose grasp on the Word. “Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. Luke 8: 12

Matthew’s account explains even further what Jesus gave in His explanation. Jesus here elaborates that when such people hear the Word of God, unable to understand it, they become easy prey to the devises of the devil. “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. Matthew 13: 19 They are the ones whose hearts are easily distracted. Any distraction would lead them away from the truth, which is the devil’s agenda in the first place. An underlying fact also remains here: they are the people who don’t take time to dwell a little longer and try to understand the Word. They are looking for easy answers and quick solutions. Wherever they find a quick remedy for their malady, they will pursue that.

Mark’s account gives us a slightly interesting perspective. We can actually visualize this narrative: a person hears the Word of God; he is walking along and the devil is lurking in the corner to distract so that Word doesn’t take root. Thereby, the devil achieved his plan of keeping people away from the truth by showing a shiny object. “These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear; immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.” Mark 4: 15

Whatever the narrative is, the truth remains the same. How many in the world have heard the Gospel but due to lack of resources or someone to explain to them, have reverted to their old ways! And still there are many who heard the Word, but neither took time to stay and ponder a while nor attempted to dig deeper. On the contrary, they chose to stick to easier paths or solutions or more familiar circumstances. Finally, there are those who are easily distracted by a shiny object. Instead of staying the course, they check out quite easily. In these current times of news at our finger tips, in small sound bites, or headlines, we expect the Word of God also to be delivered in brief headlines, fast and precise, GIFs and other media. We just take what we want and toss the rest. Beloved, the Word of God isn’t like that. It is a spring of Living water that never dries out. The longer we choose to stay and dig deeper, the better our satisfaction will be. Nothing will distract us. Nothing will snatch away. Nothing will sway us. It is up to us how and when we allow the Word of God to take root in us.

Look Around

~ Sowmya Gali

Genesis 13: 14, 15

The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.

When God called Abram from the land of Ur, he left everything and followed God into the unknown. However, he left the place with his father and nephew Lot. His father died shortly but Lot was still hanging around with Abram. The Lord blessed Lot as well because of Abram. Now the time has dawned for Abram to be separated from one last link to his past – Lot. When strife broke among the herdsmen of Lot and Abram, Abram, being a wise man requested that they shouldn’t fight as they are family. Abram besought his nephew to choose the land that he prefers so he could go the other way. Lot, drawn by the lush, fertile valley of Jordan, chose to settle near Sodom. And thus, uncle and nephew parted ways amicably.

As Abram’s eyes searched the fading caravan of his nephew Lot with a broken heart, the Lord nudged Abram to look north and south, east and west. As Abram scanned the landscape not knowing what the Lord was hinting at, Lord promised Abram that He will give all the land in all four directions to his offspring. Abram looked around and probably wondered if he would actually have an offspring who would inherit all this land that the Lord God was promising him.

God is asking us to do the same. God is nudging us to look around us. He is showing us opportunities where we could grow, be a blessing, and bring glory to His name. However, we seem to look at ourselves, our shortcomings and our infirmities. Unlike Abraham, we trust our weaknesses rather than trust in God’s strength. We are limiting ourselves. We are still clinging to our past. We believe in luck rather than God’s supernatural favor. When God is imploring us to look beyond ourselves and our circumstances, we are wallowing in our own pride and accomplishments. Thereby, we are missing out on God’s best for our lives. We fail to grasp that we have a God who is bigger than anything we can imagine. It is time, dear sojourners, to rise up and step out in faith. Not limiting ourselves but trusting Him to lead on, we are more than conquerors in Christ. May God lead you on to places beyond your reach where your tents are pitched in pleasant places.