JANUARY 27

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES

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Hebrews 2:14

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”

1 John 3:10

“In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”

James 4:7

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Matthew 13:24-30

“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;  but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’  He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’  But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”  (This is the people of this life…those who made Jesus their Lord and Savior, (in the barn) and those who didn’t, (burned).)

Ephesians 6:11

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Matthew 17:20

“So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

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This month we’re reading  the new devotional   “Becoming New”,  written by  Warren W. Wiersbe and compiled by his grandson.  Pastor Wiersbe was the President of Moody Bible Institute before the current President, Erwin Lutzer. 

WE ARE SEEDS

Read Matthew 13:24-30, and 36-43

 When Jesus explained the parable of the weeds, the apostles must have been shocked to hear Him use the word “world” (Vs 38).  But it would not have entered their minds that Christ’s message would go out to the whole world.  In the first parable, the soil represented the human heart, but now Jesus revealed the world as a vast field needing to hear the gospel, and the seed that represented God’s Word now represented the people of God.  When sinners accept the seed of the Word, they receive life and they themselves become seeds!  We are seeds, Jesus is the Lord of the harvest (Matthew 9:38), and He plants us where we can bear fruit for His glory (Matthew 13:37).  If a field is neglected, it gradually turns into an ugly vacant lot that doesn’t produce fruit but collects rubbish.

Wherever the Lord plants the good seed (His people) the devil comes to plant counterfeits and seeks to hinder the work of the Spirit.  As “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), he is a counterfeiter and plants counterfeit Christians. (2 Cor. 11:26) wherever Jesus plants true believers.  The first “child of the devil” was Cain, who killed his brother Able in Genesis 4. 

When John the Baptist came, the Scribes and Pharisees showed up, and John called them a “brood of snakes” in Matthew 3:7-10.  Jesus called them “children of your father the devil” in John 8:44. 

Paul went to Cyprus to preach, and a false prophet opposed him, whom Paul called a “son of the devil” in Acts 13:10.

Paul also warned us against false ministers in 2 Cor. 11:12-15, a false gospel in Gal 1:6-9, and a false righteousness in Romans 10:2-4.  It is often while believers sleep that Satan goes to work and plants his counterfeits, so we must stay alert.  (Romans 13:11-14).

As seeds, God’s people appear to be small and weak, but God’s power can work in and through them to transform the “ugly vacant lot” of our part of the world into a fruitful garden.  While we must be alert to Satan’s wiles and oppose sin as much as possible, our main job is not to pull up the weeds but to bear fruit where we are planted.  If all believers would do that, the counterfeits would be exposed.  Whether we are planted in an office, a classroom, a factory, or a crowded neighborhood, the Lord can help us so live and speak that our actions will proclaim the excellence of Christ.

Sometimes the only way the Lord can scatter his seed is by sending persecution.  “A great wave of persecution began that day …and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria”  In the Greek language of the New Testament, the word translated “scattered” describes the sowing of seed.  The winds of opposition were scattering the believers and planting them where they could bear fruit.  We can be confident amid confusion and chaos that the Lord of the harvest always knows what He is doing. 

There is coming a harvest of judgment when the counterfeits will be bundled and burned.  Now is the time for us to surrender to God’s will and allow Him to plant us where He wants us so we can reach as many as possible with His good news.

We are PLANTED, not buried, for we enjoy real life as we experience transforming power to make us new.

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