Teaching from the beach

“Again Jesus began to teach beside the sea [of Galilee]. And a very large crowd gathered around Him, so He got into a boat [anchoring it a short distance out] on the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore. Mark 4:

I know my momma will love this one. She is a huge fan of the beach. As a child, the sand and sun defined our family vacation.

It’s the complete opposite of today in Missouri, where I live. There is snow on the ground and it’s still snowing.

So, I find the Teaching on the Beach inviting this morning.

Who’s teaching?

None other than the Master Himself. Red letters, friends. Well, not on here, but if you have that sort of bible, you’ll find this teaching straight from the lips of Jesus.

This is my all time favorite.

So, get your suit and shades on a join me will you? He’s about to start.

“Listen! A sower went out to sow seed; and as he was sowing, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocks where there was not much soil; and immediately a plant sprang up because the soil had no depth. And when the sun came up, the plant was scorched; and because it had no root, it dried up and withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seed fell into good soil, and as the plants grew and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundred times [as much as had been sown].” And He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words.” As soon as He was alone, those who were around Him, together with the twelve [disciples], began asking Him about [the interpretation of] the parables. He said to them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you [who have teachable hearts], but those who are outside [the unbelievers, the spiritually blind] get everything in parables, so that THEY WILL CONTINUALLY LOOK BUT NOT SEE, AND THEY WILL CONTINUALLY HEAR BUT NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT TURN [from their rejection of the truth] AND BE FORGIVEN.””
‭‭MARK‬ ‭4:1-12‬ ‭AMP‬‬ https://www.bible.com/1588/mrk.4.1-12.amp

I love how the next portion of scripture is titled in the Amplified version of the Bible app;

EXPLANATION

The whole jest of this beach teaching is Jesus sharing about how to receive from Him.

To those who merely hear a story, that’s as deep as the seed will go. But to those who WANT TO KNOW,

Jesus, EXPLAINS…..

“Then He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand and grasp the meaning of all the parables? The sower sows the word [of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation]. These [in the first group] are the ones along the road where the word is sown; but when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. In a similar way these [in the second group] are the ones on whom seed was sown on rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy [but accept it only superficially]; and they have no real root in themselves, so they endure only for a little while; then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they [are offended and displeased at being associated with Me and] stumble and fall away. And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries and cares of the world [the distractions of this age with its worldly pleasures], and the deceitfulness [and the false security or glamour] of wealth [or fame], and the passionate desires for all the other things creep in and choke out the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those [in the last group] are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word [of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation] and accept it and bear fruit–thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much [as was sown].””
‭‭MARK‬ ‭4:13-20‬ ‭AMP‬‬ https://www.bible.com/1588/mrk.4.13-20.amp

I don’t know about you, but I want to be a part of the last group, but truthfully, I’ve been a part of all four.

As I read this again this morning, picturing myself as a disciple on the shore, I’m asking the Holy Spirit to show me where I’m found in this cycle of growth.

I see things every time that I seem to have not seen before.

Like, who gave satan the right to take the Word in the beginning when it falls to the wayside?

We don’t necessarily give it to him, he’s a thief.

Most thieves are sly, they don’t walk right up and take something while others are watching. I believe that first category of people who have the Word stolen immediately,  are the ones who fail to realize that seed is being sown  in the first place. They are already blinded.

God sparked my spirit to see that He is always sowing, I’m just not always perceiving that what He is saying has the Power to grow in my heart.

We can either look at the Word of God as the Power to change every facet of our lives, or just a book that’s been sitting on the shelf for years that makes our lives seem Holy.

The rate of growth isn’t determined by the seed, it’s determined by the soil.

I have a packet of flower seeds in my laundry room, on the shelf, as I speak, but they won’t produce their potential if not placed in the proper soil.

As Jesus explained, the seed needs cultivated to promote growth. You have to allow that seed to take root and protect it against all the attempts to quench its growth.

I’ll share with you what the Holy Spirit showed me about me, at this point, in my life, in this growth cycle.

I’m battling the cares and the distractions to keep my focus on the Word.

That’s why there are days without blogs, and the temptation to stay home when I have a chance to worship.

But Praise God for my BF Wisdom who encourages me to hold fast to the Seed. To remember that in the Presence of the Lord is the fullness of Joy, and there,

the SON is always shining-

Whether I’m in Missouri or on the beach somewhere…….

*I found this in some of my old notes a little while ago. I believe it’s fitting for today and shares insight to help in the battle against the cares of this life and decitfulness of wealth;

“The Only thing you need more of, is the understanding and enlightenment of what you ALREADY have.”