Parable of the sower.

Mark 4:1-9
The sower and his seed
Mark 4:13-20
The explanation

The types of ground
The wayside ground
The stony ground
The thorny ground
The good ground

The wayside ground
The wayside heart
Downtrodden and hardened
Cynical and disappointed
Expected but did not receive

The stony ground
The stony heart
Uncleared
Full of pride and rebelliousness
Growth is possible
But full of unsteadiness
Hear and influenced
But easily affected and toppled

The thorny ground
The thorny heart
The thorns
The cares of the world
The deceitfulness of riches
The lust for things of the world
The focus of life on himself
To trust in himself
To love himself
To grow but easily choked and suppressed by worldly problems

The good ground
The good heart
The results
Sprouting
Growing
Producing
To hear and do
To listen and obey

The planting of the seed
Exterminate the weeds
Clear the ground
Till the soil
Plant
Water
Expect

The planting of the seed
Dying to self and the world
Renounce the pride and rebelliousness
Breaking up the heart
Planting the seed
Following up
Awaiting the harvest

Me
My heart
Does not have good ground
I have a wayside heart
Partially stony
Partially thorny
I'm bitter
I expected but did not receive
I refused to acknowledge His wisdom
I refused to see His way
At times
I grow
But pressure comes
Tests come
I fall
At times
While growing
Stress and worries
Inhibit growth
Or completely kills me

I forget His love
I forget His presence
I forget His mercy
I forget His blessings
I forget His wonders
I forget His miracles
I forget His help
I forget His availability
I forget His providence
I forget He has always been there
Waiting

O Lord
I am ashamed
To only remember You when all else fails
Why Lord
Do I not think of You first
Whenever trials or problems arise
Why Lord do I attempt with my own strength
Only to fail miserably
Only to fall hard
Only to injure myself
And only after that
Do I remember about You
And think about turning to You

O Lord
Remind me
That You are always there
That Your door is always open
You always welcome me
You are waiting
You want to cleanse me
You want to fill me
You want to empower me
You want to care for me
You want to forget all that is past

O Lord
Take away the lies of the devil
Who makes me feel ashamed
Who makes me feel unworthy
Who makes me feel unclean
Who makes me feel unwanted
Who tells me I can never go back to You

O Lord
Help me turn back to You
Teach me Your ways
Impart to me Your wisdom
And mold me with Your Hands

O Lord
Remind me to always put You first
In every trial
Problem
Test
Fun
Enjoyment
In every aspect of my life
And not to remember You
Only after the hour of doom is at hand

O Lord
Forgive me
And I thank You
For the timely reminder
Of the grounds
And the hearts
And of my heart

Lord Jesus
Bridge the gap between You and me
I beg of You
Make me feel wanted
Make me feel loved
Make me feel Your available-ness
O Lord
Thank You

Take away the depression
Fill it's place with cheerfulness
Make me able to live life
Bringing light to those around me





PS. Lord, today I miss having a girlfriend again. Please take away that feeling so that I can continue to learn how to live life relying on You and not on humans. Please teach me so that You can prepare me for more.

PPS. Mom, dad, I signed up to go for missions in China this coming August 2009. I left it to God to decide for me. If I'm meant to go, the first step would be to provide me with a place in the missions team. Then everything else would fall into place. If my application is rejected, I know I'm meant for greater things back home with you two. Please pray for me and this missions decision. I will receive the reply next week.

God bless all.