Matthew 13:31-32

Matthew 13:31-32

Kingdom of heaven: mustard seed

Man took and sowed the seed in his field.  

It is a seed that it is the least of all seeds but grows into something greater than the herbs and becomes a tree

The birds will nest in its branches.

Application :

Sometimes I feel so small or so unable to do things.  I think of how Jesus goes to those of insignificance and takes those tiny seeds and grow them into big trees.  We can't underestimate what God is doing in people's lives.  He is so much bigger than we can imagine with the things He wants to do with His church.  He makes beautiful things out of the dust.

Matthew 13:24-30

Matthew 13:24-30

Kingdom of heaven:  a man sowed good seed in His field

When He was sleeping his enemy came on tossed a bunch of weeds in amongst the good seed.  

Servant offers to go in and pull them out but the Master says no because He doesn't want to pull out any of the good seed.  He says have them grow together and then when it's harvest time separate them out.  

The weeds are going to gathered together to be burner and the good seed will be gathered in the barn.  

Application: I must pray for those around me more.  My heart aches and longs for them.  Please Lord Jesus do Your work in our neighborhood.  Sometimes I feel so inadequate or such a bad representation of You.  I feel like such a horrible mother.  

And yet You chose me.  I don't know why?  I wouldn't want me to be my mother :(. Please help me show more graciousness to my children.  It's Your kindness that leads to repentance and I desperately need that today.  I love You Lord.  

Matthew 13:18-23

Matthew 13:18-23

Parable of the sower explained:

Birds eat the seeds:  when someone hears the Word but does not understand it - the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in the heart

Stony places: hears the Word and receives it with joy, but has no root inside - when persecutions and tribulations come they immediately stumble 

Thorns: hears the Word, cares of the world and deceitfulness of riches choke the Word - result is unfruitfulness

Good ground: hears the Word and understands it - bears fruit and produces hundredfull sixty full thirty full

Applications:  

I need to strengthen my root.  Get it deep in the good soil so I can begone producing well again.  And I need to come from these tribulations of last year and arise and rejoice and not keep stumbling from the hurts and be ready to be available to grow from it and use it for His glory.  And from being very blessed I need to make sure my focus does not revolve around riches, but on Jesus.  And asking of Him what He wants me to do with today :). 

Matthew 13:10-17

Matthew 13:10-17

Jesus speaks to people in parables: 

The parables are for those whom have been given the ability to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.  

To those who know the mysteries more will be given.  

Those that don't have more will be taken away. 

People's hearts have grown dull

They have closed their eyes they don't listen with their ears.  

If they did see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understood with their hearts Jesus would heal them.  

Many prophets and righteous men longed to see what His disciples were seeing in person.  They were blessed because they got to see Jesus first hand.  

I think it comes down to the heart.  If the heart doesn't want to learn or desire to understand, then it's not going to see or hear the truth either.  It's like I could tell my child 10 times to do something, and if their heart isn't in it and chooses to ignore they aren't going to see or hear to do it. 

That's what those that came to Jesus with a heart against them.  They weren't going to hear the truth or see the signs because their hearts didn't want to.  

There is a few verses on the heart:  

Guard your heart with all diligence for from it flows the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick who can understand it? 

Jeremiah 17:9

Our heart's our sick.  We need to guard them.  When we turn our hearts toward learning the truth and seeing Jesus He gives more to our hearts.  But when we turn away from the truth we get further and further away.  

We need to be careful to listen and see.  And keep our hearts turned toward Jesus. 

Lord please guard my heart. 

Matthew 13:1-9

Matthew 13:1-9

Seeds fall when the sower sow's

1. By the wayside:birds ate them 

2. Stony places:grew up to quickly without depth and got scorched on the the rocks

3. Among the thorns:got choked by them

4. Good ground:yielded a crop of some hundredfold some sixty some thirty

Ending:  those with ears should hear

Application:  first I need to make sure where I am planted is in good rich soil.  What is in my foundation that is growing me?  Tend that soil and help it be well cared for to help me thrive in this world.  Because I need that and the sun and water to help me grow and live when I face the world's elements

Second I need to work at cultivating the soil my children are planted in.  Make sure it has all the nutrients it needs to help my children thrive and produce in this land

Third be ready to share the Word and my testimony with those around me that will here.  

More explanation on this parable to be explained later in this chapter.  

Lord please continue to be a deep rich soil to grow myself and my family in.  I am lacking some nutrients in my soil, please help me pinpoint those so I can thrive in my home and show Your love to my family. 

Matthew 12:46-50

Matthew 12:46-50

Who are our brothers and mother and sisters:  

The one who does the will of our Father in heaven.  

Jesus called His disciples whom followed Him, His family

There is biological family.  Then there is family that God gives us to walk with and work at doing His will.  This is encouraging to me.  I have this family that I walk along life with, some are biological and some are other followers of Jesus but the best part of those relationships is having the common bond to follow Jesus and seek His Father's will for our lives.  I am blessed! 

Thank you Lord for the people You have placed in my life to be my family.  

Matthew 12:43-45

Matthew 12:43-45

When an unclean spirit goes out of a man and it finds no place to go it returns to the man and finds everything in place and in order so he goes and gets seven more spirits more wicked than the first and re enter the man and its the man is worse of than the first time.  

That's what He is telling these people as a generation.  

When nick and I witnessed a demon possessed teenage girl get saved from two demons she had in her, it was not enough for her to just say I believe that Jesus is Jesus.  She had to radically change her life quickly.  We witnessed her destroying things that she said had given satan power in her life...  CDs she broke into pieces, a ring that was crushed.  She switched over to reading her Bible non stop in the beginning all the time, to shut out the voices that tried to taunt her when they returned.  As it was said in a sermon recently, she had to do "Jesusy" things.   

So when I read this I know exactly what it is talking about because I have witnessed it.  

You can't just clean sweep the house when the evil is gone, you have to start replacing it with Jesus.  

Lord for the things in my life my home my boundaries that are not of You, help me not just clean sweep it out of my life, but also replace it with things of You.  I know in my areas of discouragement and depression I need Your help to replace those thoughts.  Through You Lord.  Help me do things through You.