A story is given of a community that lived a very quiet, family oriented life. Their children attended christian community schools while the parents from this neighborhood mostly held 8-5 , white collar jobs. They were decent people who would regularly attend church on Sunday casually greeting one another in passing and courteously kept the neighborhood clean. Lights were all off by 10PM and it was quite a pleasant sight for a community.
A time came where a certain Levi moved into the neighborhood. He earned a decent amount of money to afford a place at the corner of this middle class neighborhood but no wife or children. Levi enjoyed a good party especially on weekends where he would have a couple of friends over, pretty loud music and drinks and certainly felt that the night was young at 10PM. Levi did not go to any church but would be found nursing hangovers three out of the four weekends in the month. This was his routine more often than not. His cans and bottles stayed outside decorating his fence and he hardly had any strength to clean after his eventful weekends.
It was not long until Levi became the example parents from this neighborhood used to scare children into loving school, being disciplined and ensuring they were straight with God so that they do not become like Levi. It is said that one parent even told his children that what Levi really needed was Jesus and that nothing else was capable of saving him.
One morning, Jesus comes into the neighborhood. He knocked on every single door and those that were not about to sleep were about to head to work, drop a child to school, finish on a DIY project that’s been lagging, catch up with their favorite show. Everyone was busy and did not have time to entertain a new acquaintance.
Of course, Levi the social butterfly, who is flexible with his time and doesn’t take life as seriously, opened the door and invited the stranger in for a cool drink and a chat. Jesus got to know Levi and understood why he partied so much. He also came to understand Levi’s current job and why he does it and why he has no friends in the neighborhood. Levi, having talked much, asks Jesus who He is and listens keenly to the words that followed. The words the man spoke seemed to carry so much life in them.
A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil; and at once they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they dried up and withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out. Other seeds fell on good soil, and yielded grain—some a hundred times as much as was sown, some sixty times as much, and some thirty. AMPC
The story of the busy folks is unfortunately one that most of you can identify with. Life becomes so busy and consuming that it actually pulls us further from true life which is found in Christ alone. Some of you can also relate to Levi, who in his social nature entertains a stranger who turns out to be the very one to lead him to true life.
In today’s practical example, closing down the door on Jesus can look like an over-packed work schedule or anxious laboring because we might not trust God to really provide for our needs. It could also look like having a child with special needs that you quit believing God could heal and instead accept this ailment as His will. It might look like a failing marriage where you think if perhaps you change your hair or closet, he will look at you as he did 10 years ago, or if you are home by 6PM she will receive you with joy as she did five years into the marriage. Many are the things in our day to day lives that demand our attention and God still desires an intimate and consistent relationship with us. Since we know He cannot test us beyond what we can bear I reckon that it must be possible to have this relationship God desires with us.
Going to church Sunday is a great exercise of the mind and the spirit. Fellowshipping with others creates an opportunity for iron to sharpen iron , for accountability, prayer, confession and rebuke and worship that pleases God but it is not enough. Every believer should have a personal relationship with The Word because it is the most excellent way of God to equip us, correct us, instruct us, reveal himself to us and to align us into purpose.
The believer that hears the Word but does not keep it, study it, or understand it is the ground on which seed falls and the bird eats it. The believer who hears this Word and is encouraged at that moment but forgets it as soon as trouble arises is the ground on which seed falls but takes no real root. The believer that hears the Word and allows anything or anyone from human logic to reason, to plant doubt and counter opinions from God’s, is the soil with thorns that choke out the seed although it sunk in the ground at first.
Lastly, the believer who hears this Word, meditates on it day and night contemplating it until it becomes a revelation that can practically be applied to their lives, implements it up to when it becomes a natural response is the good soil which receives the seed and multiplies it into great ripe fruit.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.ESV
The enemy is not interested in robbing you of things that are not eternal treasures. When we fix our mind on Jesus, we begin to receive a progressive revelation and understanding of who we are and the power we have in this new identity Understanding the latter, makes you a threat to the kingdom of principalities and evil because you hold the keys to go back and show others the way and depopulate his kingdom. What he will attempt to steal, kill or destroy therefore, is anything that increases your knowledge and understanding of your identity in this Savior, this gift that keeps giving, so that you may not connect to the power and glory freely given to you.
Child of God, reading and understanding scripture is the most essential token of willingness you can present to God as fertile soil that He may plant and water seed. A believer who has no time to read scripture, to bond with it and understand it is actually under serious spiritual attack because you possess no mark in the spirit that even the devil would bother to attack you or recognize you. It is proof that you are hard ground that chokes or loses the seed.
That is why we don’t fight against flesh and blood or the thief that stole our purse last week or the new phone we recently purchased. We fight against principalities, powers and rulers of darkness; a darkness you cannot see through unless by the light of the Spirit of God dwelling in you.
Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. NLT
In the ancient medieval culture, which is the context in which Paul speaks from, a sword is the most important tool in the arsenal of weapons that soldiers took to war. When he writes to the church in Ephesus giving them instruction on how to apply themselves to faith and vice versa. He contrasts the Word of God to a sword for a soldier at war. When you are a believer, it is already assured that tribulations will come , not might, not could but will come. When you do not read, know and understand how to apply this Word, you are like a soldier that shows up to war without their sword and expects to make it out alive.
Child of God, no man that has received the revelation of the person of the Word can stay the same. Like our brother Levi, some are good soil simply awaiting for a seed to be planted. Like the neighborhood folk, some are unreachable ground which birds steal seed from, others are hard or thorny that they choke it out or lose it to the scorching sun.
As you personally decide to acquaint yourself to the Word, commit yourself to becoming good soil that receives seed and multiplies it. There is no distinctive mark a man can ever attain, as one given by God through His spirit at work in us ().
If you have never given your life to Jesus Christ, and you feel that this is the perfect time, pray this prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I thank you because you died for my sins and you were raised for my glory. Today, I receive you as my Lord and Savior. I am born again. Amen.”
