Seed planted amongst the thorns

S-Matt 13
7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’[a]

22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful

O- Jesus tells the parable of the sower because he knows man, and how we are.   There will be sinners,  some will repent, their will be some who confess and call Jesus Lord, but are swayed by the world.    We see that though one receives the good news and begins to grow in it, the wories of the world and deceitfulness of wealth in the world has the ability to choke out the growth.  Jesus does give us hope though, he understands our heart becomes calloused, our ears do not hear him, and our eyes do not see him working all around,   If we soften our heart and seek to hear and see him , He will heal us from the affects of the world.

A -  The application is my confession.   I am the seed that fell amongst the thorns, and have allowed my heart to be calloused, and sight and vision to be muted because the worries and things the world values have distracted me.  In particular work and my home have drawn my attention away from God in an unhealthy way. For this I am forever sorry that I allowed the joy of the Lord to be replaced with the drive for acceptance at work, and the grasping for something at home that was a want and not a need.   I need to continue to seek the Lord and pray that he softens my calloused heart, and stop and listen for the Lord, for he is present I am just not hearting and seeing Him.

P - Lord my prayer is that you would heal me,  heal my marriage,  give me strength to pull myself and my family out of this season,  and back to you.   I confess I don't know how, or can't hear and see you, and pray that your voice would be resounding in me, and that I would see the path that you would lay before me.  I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.

Grow in mercy not sacrifice

S - Matt  12
5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’[a] you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

O-  Jesus came to make corrections and give example of the truth of who God is and who He desires us to be.   Over time it is us that begin to deviate from God's intended path, to follow our own.   In the case here Jesus is speaking to the religious leaders that are just looking for a reason to call Jesus and His disciples guilty of violating the sabbath,  when Jesus corrects them because their head and hearts are in the wrong place.  They chose strict obedience to rules, instead of obedience to the heart that delivered the rules.   The Lord gave the sabbath as a give to man, a time to pause, reflect, revel in God's love and creation,   even a time to correct back to the heart of God.   Instead these men on the sabbath spent there time condemning vice being in awe of the teachings of Jesus and the acts of great love and mercy of  Jesus and the disciples.  And finally in the verse 6 we see the heart of God revealed through Christ that he desires us to show mercy as he has, not to sacrifice and suffer as proof of our love for God.   The sabbath is not for punishment but a gift.

A - The application for me is to first and foremost take time to reflect on my own attitude toward the sabbath.  I have grown in my celebration and honoring of the sabbath, as a means to rest and reflect.  Of recent I haven't been as reflective of God's creation and great mercy and gifts in my life and I need to improve this area.   In terms of attitude overal I need to reflect on my own life and be sure I am realigning to the principle of mercy and not condemning myself or others for not sacrificing.  God is growing empathy and mercy  in me, and I need to apply it first and foremost at home.

P - Dear heavenly father, thank you for never letting go of me.  I pray for Holy Spirit in showing love and mercy to my wife and kids during this challenging move period.  Give me wisdom and peace to build them up not ask them for sacrifice, especially in who you have created them to be.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Take off the old yoke, and put on Christ' yoke

S- psalm 109
But you, Sovereign Lord,
    help me for your name’s sake;
    out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow;
    I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give way from fasting;
    my body is thin and gaunt.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
    when they see me, they shake their heads.
26 Help me, Lord my God;
    save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know that it is your hand,
    that you, Lord, have done it.

Matt 11
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

O -  We see here David's cry out to the Lord and Jesus' response to the world  and thus to all of us who choose Jesus as Lord and savior.  We can see that David has chose God as his Lord and savior because he cries out to him.    I have David as an example of remembering to  seek God is my challenging times, and wait on His response and direction.   I see from Jesus he is the answer to our prayers to take the burdens of this world from us.   Jesus describes following him as the better path because He has a different yoke, than the yoke of the world.  He doesn't promise to remove the yoke completely though because we still have our part to do in our relationship with God, one of reverence with obedience.  

A -  I am reminded by today's devotion that God's yoke I can handle, but when I yoke myself to my expections the world has for me it can be overwhelming and lead me down the wrong path, chasing things of this world, and praises of man.    God has saved me from my old self for a purpose.  That purpose is to glorify him at home and at work,  to show how his love works better than my definition of love.   I am to love with grace and discipline to how God loves.  I am to forgive like I need to be forgiven.   I am to serve like Jesus served.   The application for me is to ensure I am putting on Jesus'  yoke and not the many yokes of the world.    I am to serve at work with humble grace, and love.   I am to love my wife like Christ loves the church.  I am to raise my children up in the ways they should go, and I am serve the local church where God is calling me.

P - Dear Lord, I cry out like David, in my weakness, I need your strength to overcome my circumstances today.   You have worked out things at work for me and I am ever thankful, and desire to continue to represent you love and grace there.  I am in need of your touch on my marriage and attitude to traverse this very tense move season.  There are giants we are faciing in this move, that I give to you to help us grow through and give you all the praise and glory for your ways are better than my ways.   I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

praising the lord in all circumstances

S - Psalm 89
1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
    with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
    through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
    that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
    I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
    and make your throne firm through all generations.’”[c]
...

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
    who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.
16 They rejoice in your name all day long;
    they celebrate your righteousness.
17 For you are their glory and strength,
    and by your favor you exalt our horn.[d]
18 Indeed, our shield[e] belongs to the Lord,
    our king to the Holy One of Israel.

O -   The message of the psalmist is to proclaim the unfailing love of the redeemer of our soul's.    These are not claims of the written covenant but of the the living covenant maker.   We are those who follow the living convenant maker,  and in many attempts to follow the rules of the covenant.  But when we fall short of our part of the covenant , God does not ,   His word is good and eternal.   Those who learn to embrace this are able to proclaim God's great love for man,  regardless of circumstances surrounding them, because they understanding His unfailing love.     The psalmist goes on to describe for those who can live righteously under this convenant they have learned to do this, because they have learned to embrace the fact that they walk no in the light of the Lord, which allows them to rejoice in His name all day long.

A -   The application for me is deep and personal to my walk today.  I have knowledge of God, and relationship with Him,  I have an understanding of His great covenant with me,  and I with Him;  however,  in this season I struggle to walk in confidence and struggle to rejoice in His presence.     I believe this is as the pslamist describes my proceess of learning to acclaim the Lord in all circumstances.   The circumstances that had changed my attitude and emotions,  the Lord has redeemed for His glory, and I now find myself chasing God's intentions and heart.   My soul flags at time because I allow it to dwell on the negative, or feeling of abscence of the Lord presence in my heart and mind,  yet I know this is the battle and the learning moment all at the same time.   I need to find God in htis moment, and praise Him, love Him,  and walk in His light.   The last part may be the most important for me today,  to be able to find the Lord's light in today's moments and simply walk in them.  

P -  Dear heavenly Father,  I am seeking your face and your light in my daily walk.   I recognize I have allowed my heart and mind to wander from you , and  I am sorry I haven't been walking in the truth your have revealed to me.   Help me Lord to see your light,  and to let that light transform my heart and mind.   Lord I pray for a healing from this sickness in my  heart and mind, and a lifting of the heaviness and a protection from the darkness.   In Jesus name I pray,  Amen.