Bible Verse: But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. Luke 8:15
Scripture Reading: Luke 8:1-15; Galatians 5:22-25; Hebrews 10:36
Sometimes, Christians can appear to be something they really are not. God wants us to be authentic and solid through-and-through. He needs real-deal believers who walk the talk. This doesn’t mean we are perfect by any means, but it does mean they are committed to growth – and authenticity.
At the end of the well-known “Parable of the Sower” in Luke 8:1-15, Jesus said that those who hear the Word (receive the seed) and retain it would produce a crop (transformation and blessing). But Jesus also added one more word in there that often gets overlooked. He said this process of divine seedtime and harvest would produce a crop – by persevering. In the English Standard Version, the same verse reads like this…
As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
There it is…our final word for this devotional: patience.
God wants you to be patient with yourself if you are going to see Him transform and bless your life. Fruit, positive results, and good changes all come over time but require patience. Jesus said this almost like a warning at the end. He is telling us not to give up on ourselves or the process.
The farmer knows crops take time to produce because seeds must germinate and go through a growth process. A frantic farmer who rushed out the day after sowing and dug up all his work because he saw no immediate results would be a bad, impatient farmer. Don’t be that farmer.
Be a patient farmer. The positive steps you take today to be more authentic will bring results later, sometimes much later, but that’s okay. Give yourself a break. You are in the process of growing; let it happen. Don’t settle for what’s fast and easy – that’s how fake stuff gets made. Keep sowing God’s Word into your life and stay accountable to it. Transformation will happen. This is God’s specialty, and He loves that you want a solid, authentic faith.
Prayer: Father, I ask that You help me persevere and be patient as I allow You to work in my life. I ask You to sustain me through all the challenges that lie ahead that will tempt me to give up or stop being accountable to Your Word. I pray my patience grows and I produce fruit to Your glory. In Jesus’ Name Amen.
Reflection: If you walk with the Lord long enough, you will be tempted to think you should have grown more or known more faster. Have you been frustrated with yourself to the point of wanting to give up? If so, remember that it is not God making you feel that way. Be patient with yourself. Every day, expect God to shape and grow you into the authentic man He wants you to be.
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