Recently someone told me what her parents were enduring. They had spent 45 years on three different mission fields—India, Hong Kong, and Suriname, learning a new language in each location. Raising five children, they never had money to put away, so at age 70, they retired to subsidized housing in Florida. Now they were experiencing health problems and repeated hospitalizations. “Why can’t God treat them better?” my friend asked. I did not know what to say.
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Is There a Wrong Way to Study the Bible?
“What does this verse mean to you?” I have been in numerous Bible studies where this question has been asked. But is this really the question we should be asking when studying God’s Word? If not, what kind of questions should we be asking?
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The Good Soil
Digging Deeper – Soil Series Week 5
Before digging in to The Good Soil check out weeks 1-4 here .
Luke describes the good soil in this way: “But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold” (Luke 8:8). The use of the phrase “sprang up” is found in the descriptions of soils 2, 3, and 4. As mentioned in our last post, this is an indication of germination or life. The clear implication is belief. Like soils 2 and 3, this last soil also represents a believer, but one who goes on to full maturity and yields a plentiful bounty.
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The Thorny Ground
Digging Deeper – Soil Series Week 4
Before digging in to The Thorny Ground check out weeks one and two here .
As we have seen in our previous blogs, the parable of the four soils addresses the different responses people have to God’s word, the “seed.” The first ground was the hard soil, which represents the unbeliever. The second ground was rocky, representing Christians who fall away during times of trials. Today, we are going to be taking a look at the third soil, also known as the thorny ground.
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The Rocky Soil
Digging Deeper – Soil Series Week 3
Before digging in to The Rocky Soil check out weeks one and two here .
For the first twelve years of our marriage, my husband and I were renters. Before moving to our current home, we rented a nice townhome with a tiny backyard. Although I couldn’t modify much about the home to suit my own taste, I requested permission from my landlord to install a small flowerbed in the backyard. He kindly obliged, and after months of mental planning and selecting just the right native plants, it was finally time to break ground.
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The Hard Ground
Digging Deeper – Soil Series Week 2
A few weeks ago we offered an overview and infographic on the Parable of the Four soils here. Now we want to take the next 4 weeks to dig deeper and take a closer look at this parable. This is an important passage and worthy of close attention. In fact, the Lord Himself spoke of this parable in an interesting way. When the disciples come to the Lord privately to ask what the parable meant, the Lord makes this startling statement:
[Read more…] about The Hard Ground
