Lent: Journey According To LukeSample

THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD DEVOTION The gospel Jesus is preaching is the gospel of the kingdom of God. Signs and wonders evidence this kingly reign of God; the healing of the sick and the deliverance of those who are demon possessed. In the parable of the sower, the revelation of the kingdom of God is a heavenly mystery. Jesus uses a parable to explain this to us. To understand this mystery, we cannot use our intellectual ability, which only lets us see things that are comprehensible. Jesus says that we must use our ‘heart’ to understand, a spiritual heart to understand the mystery of the heavenly kingdom. This mystery is only revealed to those who are followers of Christ. A spiritual person can understand, while a worldly person cannot. The different conditions of people’s hearts determine whether they can understand the truth of the kingdom of God. Some people’s hearts are just like soil on the roadside, giving no chance for the truth to grow before it is taken away by the devil. These people have no idea of the mystery of the kingdom of God. Although they come to church every week, the word of God has no effect on them. Some other people’s hearts, though yearning a little for truth, are still hard like rock. Their spiritual soil is still not well prepared to receive God’s word. No root can grow and no fruit can be borne. In times of testing, these people will just back out. There are others who want to get the benefit of both worlds: they want the kingdom of God as well as the world. They end up living a weak and painful life. Only those with a noble and good heart are well prepared to bear good fruit. As the state of the heart is so important, it should be our priority to nurture and cultivate it, making it good soil for the Word of God to grow. FOR REFLECTION • How do you deal with the hardened, shallow, thorny parts of your life? • In what ways is God encouraging you to make more of your life into a fruitful soil? PRAYER Thank you Lord, for the seed of the good news in my life. By your Holy Spirit, nurture the good soil and transform those parts, which are hardened, indifferent or compromised, so that I may be fruitful for you.