Broken Bread 3

Week Three: Sowing Seed    Day 16: Good Seed     April 11, 2016 
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Harvest image
"Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of
unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the LORD, until He comes
and showers righteousness upon you."
(Hosea 10:12) 
Day Sixteen Devotions:
 
MORNING MEDITATION
 
Glean the Word:
John 4:43-54         
   
Glimpse of Glory: "He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave." (Psalm 107:20)  
  
Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.  When He spoke, His words were filled with power, not prophecy. Jesus returned to Cana in Galilee for another divine appointment; the first was for a joyful celebration at a wedding feast, but this second visit was for a more desperate and hopeless case brought to Him by a royal official whose son was dying.  The first seeds of faith were planted in Cana when Jesus performed His first miracle; however only His mother, His disciples, and the servants were witnesses to the great supply of wine.  News spread about the great "miracle worker" who had done many miraculous signs, drawing crowds of people who only came to be amazed.  When the nobleman came begging Jesus to come home with him before his child died, Jesus responded, "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe" (v. 48).  These words would become a test of the father's faith when Jesus' response to his plea was a simple instruction: "You may go.  Your son will live." (v. 50).

The nobelman's faith stood on those seven words from the mouth of the Lord.  And because he took Jesus at His word and departed as Jesus instructed, hope, healing, and salvation came to his entire household (v. 53).  What blessings come to us and so many others when we are willing to take a simple step of faith.  Today we have at our fingertips the entire Word of God that holds the answer to all our needs.  Thousands of precepts, principles, and promises lay before us that we can claim for our very own.  Hundreds of words of hope and encouragement are written on every precious page of God's Word.  Countless keys are within our grasp that will unlock the doors to a life of victory and triumph.  The Lord is waiting to activate the power of His Word in our lives if we will simply believe He is who He says He is and will do what He has promised He will do.  Jesus isn't limited by time or space, what He spoke to the nobleman was accomplished the moment He said it, and Jesus took the opportunity to build upon the man's fragile faith, by showing him that He didn't have to come with him for His power to be displayed in the life of his dying child.  "When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour."  Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "You son will live" (vv. 52-53a). 

May we take time this morning to pray and confess those times we believed God's Word for others, but didn't trust them for ourselves; and like the nobleman, who first believed that Jesus could only heal if He was present, after praying, we go so far as to prescribe the answer we expect to receive, rather than trust our Lord to perform in His perfect timing, His perfect will for our life.  Let us praise the Lord that nothing is too hard for Him, and that His answer can come in an instant and with the greatest ease! "For nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37).    
     
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AFTERNOON DEVOTION

 

Glean the Word: Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43          

 

Gift of Grace: "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:3) 

 

Jesus went about His work planting the seeds of faith in the hearts of the people, as He preached the truth and did miraculous signs.  Many of the people came just to see Jesus perform miracles, but there were some who saw His works through eyes of faith and came to believe in Christ and not just the works that He did.  It is the Lord's desire that His words don't just fall on hearing ears, but take root within our hearts. 

In the parable of the weeds, Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven as being like a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while everyone was sleeping the enemy came in and sowed tares among the wheat, and then went on his way (vv. 24-25). Jesus explained to those who had ears to hear, that the field is the world, and He is the sower of the good seed, which are the true saints of His kingdom; while the tares are the children of the devil, who do evil and cause harm. At the end of the age, when the harvest is come, each man's work will be shown for what it is, and those who have sown evil deeds will be sifted out and thrown into the fire.  "...his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.  It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work" (1 Corinthians 3:13). At the present time it can be difficult to discern those who are counterfeits, who have been planted to carry on the enemy's deception in the world, and cause division in the church; therefore it is important that we stay awake and vigilant, for it is when we are sleeping that the enemy does his most mischievous work. 

As we pray for the church this afternoon, let us be aware that while the enemy may be at work sowing his evil tares, the Lord is still at work raising up godly saints and maturing us in our faith; and both will continue to grow until the harvest arrives.  While we wait, it is vital that we are diligent in our study of God's Word, and vigilant in our prayers.  The best way to recognize a counterfeit is by knowing what is true!  While it is important to expose Satan's lies, it is even more important to be diligent about speaking and sharing the truth of the gospel of grace.  "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears, let him hear" (Matthew 13:43)  
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EVENING PRAYER
 
Glean the Word: Hebrews 11:7; Genesis 6:1-8:22

Fruit of Repentance: "By faith, Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.  By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." (Hebrews 11:7) 
 
Evening prayer focus:  Walking by faith (click on the image below for our evening prayer).

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.  O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You." (Psalm 84:11-12)   

Click on the image below to draw close to the fire
and experience the warmth, love and light of Christ
as we come boldly before the Throne of Grace and
 join our hearts together in prayer:

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HARVEST The Kingdom of God - 

A 40 Day Prayer and Fasting Journey to The Throne of Grace 

Copyright � 2009, 2016 Traci A. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

 


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