A S P E C T S - a monthly devotional journal For subscription information on receiving Aspects every month via e-mail, or the laser-printed edition by mail, see NOTES, COPYRIGHT & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION near the end of this file. Aspects is written by David S. Lampel. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Issue #34, September 1993 (Internet Edition) V I C T O R Y G A R D E N ----------------------------------------------------------------- In this issue: Perspective 1 - To Know the Sower - Matthew 13:20-21 Perspective 2 - Floribunda Dandelions - Matthew 13:22 Perspective 3 - Producing Fruit - Matthew 13:23 Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. -Mat 13:16 ----------------------------------------------------------------- It is with wry amusement that I recall the naivete we demonstrated years ago, shortly after purchasing our first house, in San Diego. We thought it might be a very nice thing to have a small garden in the back yard from which to harvest veggies for the table. We planned where in the yard we might situate this garden, discussed which veggies to grow, then went out and purchased that first, critically important tool. We bought a shovel. As I recall, no one laughed at us at the hardware store, so we had no clue for what was to come. With our new shovel, packets of seeds, stakes and string, we put on our grubbies and set to the task. We measured and laid out the plot. I manfully set the tip of the blade of my new shovel to the earth and pushed down with the heel of my foot. And nothing happened. I tried again. Nothing. The blade refused to travel more than a fraction of an inch into the "soil." We may have discussed the cost and feasability of acquiring a pickaxe--or dynamite; I can't remember. But in any case we made the decision to not dig up the soil at all. We laid out our rows, scratched a shallow furrow into what millenia before had probably been soil, and carefully placed our seeds. That was an interesting little garden. From a distance it gave the same impression one might have gazing upon rows sliced into a Formica table top. But, God is faithful; in a few weeks things did, indeed, begin to sprout. It's the carrots I remember quite vividly: fresh green tops above the soil--stunted, tortured nubs below. We had to cut them out of the clay hardpan with a hatchet. We are now older and wiser--and we live in a place where the soil is black, and may be turned with only reasonable effort. From this soil the harvest is carried in large baskets instead of plastic baggies. In this soil the roots grow deep, and are fed by the nutrients deposited millenia ago by the receding glaciers of the ice age. ___________________________ One day Jesus taught a large crowd of people from a boat. He taught them using parables, and the first parable(1) was about bad soil and good soil: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear."(2) Here we have three soil types represented: The first is thin and unproductive; the bedrock is close to the surface, leaving very little room in which mature roots can be established. The second is fertile ground, but populated by thorns and weeds that crowd out the more valuable harvest. The third is soil that is rich and well-cultivated; it receives the farmer's seeds, gives them ample depth for rooting, and produces a bountiful harvest. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective 1: T O K N O W T H E S O W E R ------------- The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. -Matthew 13:20-21 ___________________________ "The persons meant are those of excitable temperament, whose feelings lie on the surface, and can be got at without first passing through the understanding or the conscience. Such people are easily played on by the epidemic influence of any prevalent enthusiasm or emotion, as every revival of religion shows. Their very 'joy' in hearing the word is suspicious; for a true reception of it seldom begins with joy, but rather with 'the sorrow which worketh repentance not to be repented of.' Their immediate reception of it is suspicious, for it suggests that there has been no time to consult the understanding or to form a deliberate purpose; stable resolutions are slowly formed. It is the sunny side of religion which has attracted them. They know nothing of its difficulties and depths. Hence, as soon as they find out the realities of the course which they have embraced so lightly, they desert."(3) ___________________________ Let's begin by making sure we understand the metaphors Jesus is using. Sower or Farmer: Jesus; then, by extension, anyone carrying the Gospel Seed: the Word, or the "message about the kingdom"; the Gospel of Jesus Christ Birds: Satan or his devils Soil: You or your heart; people who hear the word Thorns: Worries and distractions of this life We begin, actually, with the second category of person, since the first (13:4,19) deals with those who reject outright the word of God in Jesus. If you are reading this, you do not fall into that first category. But everyone else--every believer--falls into one or more of the remaining three categories. ___________________________ We all begin as babies--both physically and Spiritually. But where we all inevitably grow up physically, not all of us grow up Spiritually. Transitioning from the bottle or breast to solid baby food, then on to breads and vegetables and meats is pretty much taken for granted. We pass through those developmental stages as a natural course and no one finds our progress remarkable--no one stands up and loudly celebrates our move from one to the next (except maybe our doting parents). Our transition through the stages of Spiritual maturity, however, are not so readily assumed or taken for granted. This passage does not happen without some effort, time, and sense of purpose. It does not happen accidentally. I have never met an adult whose diet consisted entirely of baby food spooned from tiny Gerber jars. But I have met quite a few adults whose Spiritual diet consisted entirely of endless repetitions of religious pablum--people who only want a piece of God, not the whole God. These are people who have carried over into their Christian life the philosophy from their natural life that religion is a thing separate--that our relationship with God is something conducted periodically, not continually. Salvation is an event, but holiness is a process. Our ticket into eternal life with God is placed into our hands at the moment we receive Christ as Lord and Son of God, but our Spiritual maturity--the quality of our relationship to God--is a process that takes place over all our years on this earth. This process we determine ourselves: the rate of progress or even whether to pursue it at all. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.(4) Into the Word ------------- Prov 1:20-3:35 __________________________________ Prov 15:14 __________________________________ Prov 18:15 __________________________________ Isaiah 40:21-24 __________________________________ Malachi 4:1 __________________________________ Matthew 3:9-10 __________________________________ Mark 4:6 __________________________________ Mark 4:17 __________________________________ Luke 3:8-9 __________________________________ Luke 8:13 __________________________________ Acts 12:12; __________________________________ 13:13; __________________________________ 15:36-40 __________________________________ Acts 18:24-26 __________________________________ 2 Cor 5:17 __________________________________ Eph 3:17-19 __________________________________ Eph 4:1-16 __________________________________ Col 1:9-10 __________________________________ Hebrews 5:11-6:3 __________________________________ James 1:5 __________________________________ 1 Peter 2:2 __________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper--Moving Higher ----------------------------- O For a Faith That Will Not Shrink O for a faith that will not shrink though pressed by many a foe, That will not tremble on the brink of any earthly woe; That will not murmur nor complain beneath the chast'ning rod, But in the hour of grief or pain will lean upon its God; A faith that shines more bright and clear when tempests rage without, That, when in danger, knows no fear, in darkness feels no doubt. Lord, give me such a faith as this, and then, whate'er may come, I'll taste e'en now the hallowed bliss of an eternal home.(5) Making it Personal ------------------ Matthew 13:21 says But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. In the context of this discussion, what does the word "root" mean to you? At the end of the same verse, Jesus says he quickly falls away. Sometimes this phrase is used to describe someone who has literally lost their faith--even lost their eternal salvation. What do you think it means here?(6) What is your response when trouble or persecution comes? Here are some possible responses to calamity: * A God of love would never permit this to happen. * Those people must have done something to deserve it; this is God's judgement upon sin. * Why me, God? * I'll pray for you. * How could He do this to me, after all I've done for Him? * It's Satan; he's doing it. * Where's God in all this? Have you heard yourself make any of these responses? What Scripture references would support the following response to affliction or persecution: "Lord, this is not a pleasant experience, but I know that nothing touches me that does not first pass through your hands, so I will rejoice in this and wait expectantly for what you will be teaching me through the process." Into the Word ------------- Spiritual immaturity--whether from physical youth, from having no access to nurturing food, or by design--can have several different results. One can obstinately remain a child in things Spiritual or one can determine to grow up--to begin the process of maturity. Conduct a study of personalities in the Bible that displayed (at some point in their lives) a reluctance to move beyond the rudimentary things of faith. Here's one to get you started: John Mark: Acts 12:12 __________________________________ Acts 13:13 __________________________________ Acts 5:36-40 __________________________________ Col 4:10 __________________________________ 2 Tim 4:11 __________________________________ Phm 1:24 __________________________________ The Gospel of Mark __________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective 2: F L O R I B U N D A D A N D E L I O N S ------------- The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. -Matthew 13:22 ___________________________ "This man is, as James calls him, a 'double-minded man.' He is trying to grow both corn and thorn on the same soil. He has some religion, but not enough to make thorough work of it. He is endeavouring to ride on two horses at once. Religion says 'either--or'; he is trying 'both--and.' The human heart has only a limited amount of love and trust to give, and Christ must have it all."(7) ___________________________ In San Diego Linda and I could grow prize-winning, floribunda dandelions to a height of four or five feet. They would shoot up undisturbed and be covered with hosts of disgusting little black bugs. This patented gardening technique was referred to as "Letting the Yard Go." Here in this place where we care about what the property looks like, the dandelions grow smaller, more cute, and get regularly chopped off by my trusty riding mower. But what we do have is thistles. These crop up in the open fields and along the gravel roads, then sift their seeds into the yard by way of a passing breeze. Left alone they grow to five or six feet, and have stems and leaves that look like they could grind trees into sawdust. In a bad year, they will persistently invade the lawn, spreading their cluster of sharp leaves horizontally before sending up their central stalk. Run over them as often as you like, but nothing will stop them. There's only one way to kill a thistle plant for good: Let it reach its height and bloom into its typically purple flower; then just before that flower goes to seed--thereby reproducing the parent plant hundreds of times over--grasp the stalk carefully and cut off its head. It will then bleed to death. Gruesome stuff, huh? But just as a thistle chokes out the good grass of a lawn, Jesus says the thorns will choke God's word out of our lives. And what are the thorns? Jesus says they are the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth. In verses 20 and 21 we have described for us a person who has not included enough of God in his life to see him through the rough times. Similarly, the person described in verse 22 is one who has given priority to the things of this age, instead of the eternal things of God. In both instances bad choices have been made. People unfamiliar with Scripture think they are quoting it when they say "Money is the root of all evil." Well, what Scripture really says is For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.(8) Riches or wealth do not prevent the word of God from taking root in our lives, but giving money preeminence means that the seeds God has planted in us--seeds He expects to blossom into a bountiful harvest--will be choked out and will come to nothing. Likewise, we can become preoccupied with the distractions of living. Life invariably holds plenty to worry about--if we choose to take that route. Life in Christ means just that: Life in Christ. We dwell in Him, in His arms, in His care and comfort. We have no worries, except how to draw closer to His breast!(9) Jesus says that someone who fusses and frets over things of this age is like a healthy garden in which the good seeds have been choked out by nasty thorns. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.(10) Into the Word ------------- Lev 26:18-21 __________________________________ Job 36:18 __________________________________ Psalm 37:16 __________________________________ Psalm 39:6-11 __________________________________ Psalm 49:5-20 __________________________________ Psalm 112:1-3 __________________________________ Psalm 119:14 __________________________________ Prov 11:28 __________________________________ Eccl 2:26 __________________________________ Eccl 4:7-8 __________________________________ Eccl 5:10 __________________________________ Hosea 9:15-17 __________________________________ Mark 4:7 __________________________________ Mark 4:18-19 __________________________________ Luke 8:7 __________________________________ Luke 8:14 __________________________________ Luke 18:18-30 __________________________________ Romans 11:33 __________________________________ Phil 4:19 __________________________________ Col 1:18 __________________________________ 1 Tim 6:17 __________________________________ James 5:1-8 __________________________________ 1 Peter 2:1-3 __________________________________ Rev 3:14-22 __________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper--Moving Higher ----------------------------- Make Me a Captive, Lord Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free; Force me to render up my sword, and I shall conqueror be; I sink in life's alarms when by myself I stand; Imprison me within Thine arms, and strong shall be my hand. My heart is weak and poor until it master find; It has no spring of action sure--it varies with the wind; It cannot freely move till Thou has wrought its chain; Enslave it with Thy matchless love, and deathless it shall reign. My will is not my own till Thou hast made it thine; If it would reach the monarch's throne it must its crown resign: It only stands unbent, amid the crashing strife, When on Thy bosom it has leaned, and found in Thee its life.(11) Making it Personal ------------------ It's time to examine our lives for thorns. First, consider this matter of the deceitfulness of wealth. Let's not be too quick to dismiss this just because we haven't a Rolls Royce in the garage and a chauffeur living in a back room. By the world's standards, just about everyone living in the U.S. is wealthy. Lean back in your chair, close your eyes, and think about it: Does money ever become an obstacle to the word of God taking root in your heart? What about the poor person who says, "We can't afford to tithe this month." Has this person discovered some thorns living in him? More common might be the worries of this life. Let's return to Jesus' parable and use his metaphor: For a moment, don't think of the word as black letters printed on white paper inside a leather-bound Bible. Think of the word as anything that speaks the truth about Jesus and the Kingdom of God, whether it be spoken, sung, read or experienced. This is the seed being planted into the soil--which is your mind, your heart, your soul. Now, what is supposed to happen to seed when it is planted into soil? It takes root, spreads, grows up and out of the soil, matures, produces fruit, then sends out seeds that reproduce, and reproduce, and reproduce. . . What is there in your life that is preventing this from happening? When your mind drifts off during a Sunday morning sermon, where is it? When you put off in-depth study of the Bible, what are you saying is more important? When the word of God seems to just bounce off the surface of your life instead of sinking in and making a difference, why? Into the Word ------------- The Acts of the Apostles includes a brief story about a couple God punished for their priorities. In fact, He killed them. Conduct a study of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 4:32-5:11), finding answers for the following questions: Did God kill Ananias and Sapphira for failing to donate everything they had to the church? If no, why then were they killed? What part did Peter play in this drama? What are some contemporary equivalents to this episode? Should we all be selling our property and giving the proceeds to the church? Why doesn't God punish us this way today when we lie to the Holy Spirit? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective 3: P R O D U C I N G F R U I T ------------- But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. -Matthew 13:23 ___________________________ "Biblical usage does not regard 'understanding' as a purely intellectual process, but rather as the action of the whole moral and spiritual nature. It knows nothing of dividing a man up into water-tight compartments, one of which may be full of evil, and the other clean and receptive of good. According to it, we 'understand' religious truth by our hearts and moral nature in conjunction with the dry light of intellect. So here the word is used in a pregnant sense, and includes the grasp of the truth with the whole being, the complete reception of the word of the kingdom not merely into the intellect, but into the central self which is the undivided fountain from which flow the issues of life, whether these be called intellect, or affection, or conscience, or will. Only he who has thus become one with the word, and housed it deep in his inmost soul, 'understands' it, in the sense in which our Lord here uses that expression."(12) ___________________________ How do we, mere mortals, know that someone truly understands the things of God? What evidence have we with which to form our opinion? What proof have we? "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."(13) In verse 23, Jesus says the one who hears the word and understands it produces a crop. It's not good enough that knowledge flows into the believer--something must flow back out to complete the process. The Holy Spirit comes into us, thereby creating our connection with the mind of God so that His wisdom can flow into us unimpeded. With the wisdom that flows through this connection we are able to comprehend the mysterious things of God spoken in His word. But God's word is a living thing, active and sharp.(14) Its seeds are intended to produce a bountiful harvest to be shared with many. Knowledge of God unused is like the cure for cancer being kept secret. Hearing only is the seed being planted; understanding is the seed producing fruit. ___________________________ "There may be much hearing, much reading, much attendance at public services, and very small result, and all because the word was not the subject of thought, and was never embraced by the understanding. What is not understood is like meat undigested, more likely to be injurious than nourishing."(15) "There are two ways of treating the seed. The botanist splits it up and discourses on its curious characteristics. The simple farmer eats and sows, sows and eats. Similarly there are two ways of treating the gospel. A critic dissects it, raises a mountain of debate about the structure of the whole, and relation of its parts, and when he is done with his argument, he is done. To him the letter is dead. He neither lives on it himself, nor spreads it for the good of his neighbors; he neither eats nor sows. The disciple of Jesus, hungering for righteousness, takes the seed whole; it is bread for today's hunger, and seed for tomorrow's supply."(16) Into the Word ------------- 2 Kings 19:29-31 __________________________________ Psalm 37:34-36 __________________________________ Psalm 80:8-9 __________________________________ Psalm 80:14-15 __________________________________ Psalm 119:33-34 __________________________________ Psalm 119:65-68 __________________________________ Prov 1:7 __________________________________ Isaiah 27:6 __________________________________ Isaiah 61:11 __________________________________ 1 Cor 12:7-8 __________________________________ 1 Cor 13:9-12 __________________________________ Eph 1:16-19 __________________________________ Eph 3:14-19 __________________________________ Eph 4:15-16 __________________________________ Phil 1:9-10 __________________________________ Phil 3:8 __________________________________ Col 1:9-10 __________________________________ Col 2:6-8 __________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper--Moving Higher ----------------------------- Lord, Speak to Me Lord, speak to me, that I may speak in living echoes of Thy tone; As Thou hast sought, so let me seek Thy erring children lost and lone. O teach me, Lord, that I may teach the precious things Thou dost impart; And wing my words, that they may reach the hidden depths of many a heart. O fill me with Thy fullness, Lord, until my very heart o'erflow In kindling thought and glowing word Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show. O use me, Lord, use even me, just as Thou wilt, and when, and where; Until Thy blessed face I see, Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share. Amen.(17) Making it Personal ------------------ This is what it all sifts down to: Are you fertile ground? If you aren't, what is preventing it? Because we are never to be complacent--because we are always to be better tomorrow than we are today--if you are someone who hears the word and understands, what can you do to more wisely use this insight? Into the Word ------------- It is sometimes easier to find poor examples in the Scriptures than good, but there is profit in seeking them out. Conduct a study of those people in the Bible who exemplify the "fertile soil" described by Jesus in verse 23. Here's one to get you started: Lydia: Acts 16:14-40 __________________________________ A Final Thought --------------- Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.(18) ======================================================================== NOTES, COPYRIGHT & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Notes ----- 1 "'Parable' is ultimately derived from the Greek parabole, literally 'putting things side by side'. Etymologically it is thus close to 'allegory', which by derivation means 'saying things in a different way'." (Source: New Bible Dictionary, 2nd Edition (Tyndale, 1984), p.877) 2 Matthew 13:3b-9. 3 Alexander Maclaren, in his Expositions of Holy Scripture (Baker, 1984), Vol 7, p.205f. 4 Phil 3:10-12. 5 William H. Bathurst (1796 - 1877). 6 Hint: the NASB margin notes say that the literal translation of this phrase would be "is caused to stumble." 7 Alexander Maclaren, in his Expositions of Holy Scripture (Baker, 1984), Vol 7, p.207f. 8 1 Timothy 6:10. 9 John 13:22-25. 10 Col 1:18. 11 George Matheson (1842 - 1906). 12 Alexander Maclaren, in his Expositions of Holy Scripture (Baker, 1984), Vol 7, p.209f. 13 Matthew 7:15-20; John 15:5. 14 Hebrews 4:12. 15 Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Quotable Spurgeon (Shaw, 1990), p.159. 16 Ibid., p.166. 17 Frances R. Havergal (1836 - 1879). 18 Gal 6:6-10. Copyright Information --------------------- All original material in Aspects is Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel. This data file is the sole property of David S. Lampel. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel."). This data file may not be used without the permission of David S. Lampel for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This includes all of its content. Brief quotations not to exceed more than 500 words may be used, with the appropriate copyright notice, to enhance or supplement personal or church devotions, newsletters, journals, or spoken messages. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture is from the New International Version. NIV quotations are from the Holy Bible: New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission. NASB quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Subscription Information ------------------------ Aspects is published monthly. There are two preferred methods of receiving it on a regular basis: 1) You may subscribe to the laser-printed (hard copy) edition, which is sent out via regular mail. 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