8 And other seed [of the same kind] fell into good (well-adapted) soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing, and yielded up to thirty times as much, and sixty times as much, and even a hundred times as much as had been sown.
9 And He said, He who has ears to hear, let him be hearing [and let him [a]consider, and comprehend].
14 The sower sows the Word.
20 And those sown on the good (well-adapted) soil are the ones who hear the Word and receive and accept and welcome it and bear fruit—some thirty times as much as was sown, some sixty times as much, and some [even] a hundred times as much. (~Mark 4)
The seed that grows and produces fruit was welcomed, received and accepted. And, as Jesus says in verse 14, the seed is the Word. How well am I accepting, receiving and welcoming the Word into my life?
Just before I began this 21 days of prayer and fasting this year, I was pondering on how to be more filled with the Holy Spirit, how to receive Christ more into my life, how to have a stronger connection with Him. As I fell asleep one night, I heard Him say in the Spirit, so clearly:
"Fill yourself with the Word. For I AM the Word."Since January 4th, when I began filling myself with the Word more and more each day as part of this fast, I have been amazed at what the Lord has done in my life, as well as in my heart and mind. There have been a couple of days where my study hasn't been all that great in the morning, or it hasn't happened until late that night . . . and those days God used for instruction, to prove the contrary, so I might understand more fully just how vital it is to be in the Word of God. If we are not filling ourselves with His Word, we cannot bear fruit.
In reading this parable this morning, the Law of the Harvest came to my mind: we reap what we sow. So, if we are sowing the Word into our hearts, receiving and welcoming and accepting it, then we can receive yet more of the Word--Jesus Christ--many times over . . . 30, 60, or even 100 times. We can know Him better, speak His words, see things from His perspective, encourage, love, bless, and strengthen others, and so much more. We can be filled with Jesus. :o)
Father God, I love Your Word. I love the records we have that teach us about You, and about how You operate, Who You Are, and that bring the Holy Spirit, making my mind one with Yours more and more. Keep on filling me, God. Please. Keep on making me into a new creation, so I can pour Your love out into my children, my husband, my friends and family. Use me in prayer, to intercede for others. Gently point out what I have yet to abandon, what I have yet to look forward to, and what I have now to do. I thank You for the blessings you keep dumping out by the truckload upon my head, and for the peace and joy and goodness that follows me whenever I turn to You. You are such a Good God, perfect and just and merciful, faithful and so loving. I rejoice in loving You, in honoring You, and most of all, I rejoice gladly in trusting You. In Jesus' name, amen!
