12 Those 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.13 Those on the rocky ground 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. 14 The 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. 15 But 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.
If I'm honest with myself......I think I have attributes of all these.....everyday. The key is to focus on Jesus, and the fact that I know for certain I can't do it right without him. I will never be good enough to say, "I'm the seed landing in good soil."
I don't like the first line that talks about the devil. That makes it sound like he has the power to keep me from God. I don't believe that. I believe that God has infinitely more power, and wouldn't let that happen.
That is one of my favorite passages and reminds me why we need to be rooted in scripture so the that see we have planted can grow and not wither. I also noted the line about the devil and wondered about its meaning. I think it is that the devil can get in the way and try to prevent a person from finding Jesus, but once he is in your heart the devil does not have the power to get him out. just my .02
ReplyDelete37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
no big takeaway but I just found this reaction by the people to be strange. Rather than be thankful for how he healed the crazy man it scared them and they asked him to leave. I suppose it could have been a bit unsettling but he did something good not bad so why be afraid of him? Also in this chapter we have yet another time Jesus heals then tells them not to tell anyone. i don't understand why?
knut