Viable Seeds - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) June 29, 2021

According to the Gospel in Matthew 7:13 - “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

Imagine a farmer saved some grain seed from last season and now, it's time to plant. He's looking forward to the upcoming harvest and the yield he'll earn once it is time to reap. However, upon closer examination, he realizes there's a problem with the box of seed. Some of them have withered. The farmer has enough experience to know these seeds will fail to produce good plants.

Nevertheless, he's not about to toss the baby out with the bath water, so he takes a seat and goes through the box of seeds, fishing for the best looking ones. By the time he's done, the viable seeds are only enough to fill a small, metal bowl.

Disappointed, he shakes his head and goes out to the field to sow the few good seeds he has, praying for a bountiful harvest despite the apparent odds.

God is very much like the famer.

You and I are very much like the seeds in the box.

Some of us are robust and the famer is happy to sow us into the ground because he knows there will be yield when the growing season ends. Some of us, on the other hand, the Farmer can't sow because he'll get no harvest from us in the future.

However, we should want to be the robust seed. Seed that the Farmer is certain will feed his family and produce grain to sell. To become such productive seed we have to apply the instruction contained in the scripture above - we have to choose to not be like everyone else who'll take the easy way into the city via the wide gate. Indeed, it is our productivity in the field that will pave our entry to eternity with Him through the narrow gate.

Instead, we have to cut lots of things, and possibly people, out of our lives so we become lean enough to fit through that narrow gate and enter the city of life. We'll have to be obedient to the word of God - which will require a pattern of reading it - so we know what to do and what not to do. We'll have to fight our fleshly nature and deny ourselves of self-indulgence by fasting from food and water, praying, praising God, helping the needy and showing love to our fellow members of mankind.

May the Lord help each of us to become the seed that provides value to His kingdom. The viable seed will make it into the small, metal bowl. They will walk through the narrow gate and may He grant us this grace, IJN, Amen.

Today, I hope you'll join us at 12 Noon EST for Praise & Pray (for others) when we'll honor the Lord with our thanksgiving, intercede for others then meditate (think deeply) on the day's message. God bless you.

ETA - needed to change toilet water to bath water