Luke 8:5-18
5″A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
9His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10He said, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom-you know how it works. There are others who need stories. But even with stories some of them aren’t going to get it:
Their eyes are open but don’t see a thing,
Their ears are open but don’t hear a thing.
11″This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But 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.
A Lamp on a Stand
16″No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”
Related Text:
Proverbs 11:30
Matthew 13:18-23
Mark 4:13-25
John 15:1-17
Galatians 6:7-10
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Good News
In relation to God and Bible, the term “Good News” refers to the information found in the New Testament, and more specifically, in the Gospels. The news that Jesus was God’s son who came to live on earth so that He could die as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, so that we may have salvation and live eternally with God in Heaven. The writers of the New Testament referred to God’s Word as “Scriptures” or as “Good News”.
The Bible is one of God’s ways to communicate with us. It is His love letter written to us with us in mind. Now, these Bible studies aren’t the complete Bible. They are pieces of God’s Word which we study over, but they are not the entire Bible (obvious, we all know a Bible study isn’t the entire Bible, but just hang with me here). So here’s my question, where is your Bible? Do you have one? Do you use it?
I ask because we need to make sure that nothing replaces our personal time with just us and God, reading His word. We sometimes have a tendency to rely on other people or programs to present us with God’s word. And if we’re not careful, we might forget about our personal time with our maker. The Bible is one way God speaks to us. We need to open our Bibles, read them, and apply God’s wisdom and teaching to our lives. Don’t let it be stolen away, choked out, or wither and die.
Matthew 5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
