TOP TEN REASONS I WON'T READ THE WORD OF GOD IN 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR all of you Word of God Readers. All over the world...people are making New Years Resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking, drinking, foolin' 'round, etc. In the world of the church...we raise our right hands...place our left hands on the Bible...and make a resolution that we will read through the Bible in 2008. Oh for sure...we are sincere....but I for one...WON'T be reading the Word of God in 2008. I've got 10 excuses... I mean reasons for Why I WON'T be reading the Word of God in 2008...and I am going to take on the philosophy as Alfred E. Newman about it..."What....Me Worry? So....here we go with the TOP TEN REASONS I WON'T READ THE WORD OF GOD IN 2008.

#TEN: Why should I identify with the hucksters, the shucksters, the charlatans, the shams, the extremists? I am going to throw out the baby with the bath water. Oh I know that I should realize that for every one that does not live the life...there are thousands that do live the life...but if I applied logic to it...I would have to live the life.

#NINE: If I took up my time reading the Word of God....I would not have time to read the plethora of written/printed information like magazines, classic literature, internet blogsites, newspapers, books about the Bible.

#EIGHT: Two words....
(1) Chuck (2) Norris. As long as Chuck Norris is alive...all will be right with the world. When you've got Walker Texas Ranger in your corner...why read about people like Samson bringing down the house and that slingshot wielding kid by the name of David that brings down the giant. Sure they were strong under the power of God...but can they do a spinning back kick.

# SEVEN: Faith comes by hearing...and hearing by the Word of God. What do I need faith for...I've got a job, insurance, 401 K, multiple credit cards, a house over my head, food in my refrigerator. I trust the Master... the Master....the Master...Card. (Note for those old timers... this was first uttered by me 17 years ago)


#SIX: Sure...the promise of the Word of God is a peace that passes understanding. Sure there is promise from the Word of God of the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace and the mind set on the flesh is death. Sure the Word of God speaks of a perfect peace promised (PPP) if the mind is stayed on Him...BUT Dr. Miles Nervine promises the same thing out of a bottle. It is easier to take a swig...rather than the trouble of reading the Word of God.

# FIVE: If I read the Word of God...I will be convicted by my sins...and who needs that kind of heartache? Besides...I am already off schedule because I missed reading on January 1st and 2nd...and who has the time to catch up now. Maybe next year.

# FOUR: The Bible promises success and prosperity in Joshua 1:8. Why do I need to read this kind of stuff when I can read the same thing from Anthony Robbins, Napoleon Hill, and any other positive mental attitude (PMA) gurus. Of course the difference is...they elevate the human spirit higher than God...and Biblical success and prosperity is (1) success being the accomplishing of the purposes of God in your life (2) prosperity being the Lord meeting your needs with an overflow to meet the needs of others... and if you don't have...you are content...knowing the Lord will meet your needs.



#THREE: Sure the Word of God is the revealed WILL of God...but at least I can get a chuckle by reading the comic strip KUDZU with the Reverend Will. B. Dunn as he kinda quotes the Word of God.

#TWO: I can't understand the Bible...with all of it's words like Thee, Thou, propitiation, justification, redemption, etc. The Amplified Bible hurts my hearing and the Message Bible is like reading the vernacular of the hip and happening. If the New American Standard Bible was good enough for Paul...then it's good enough for me...but reading it is still work...and I think I heard somewhere that we are walking in GRACE...so that means I don't have to read it.

AND THE #ONE REASON I WON'T READ THE WORD OF GOD IN 2008....

#ONE: IT'S ALL ABOUT ME BABY....IT'S ALL ABOUT ME.

Well...here's wishing you a very happy and prosperous and blessed New Year for 2008. Hmmmmmmmm....maybe I ought to take a peek into the Word...just to cover all my bases.

Love and Graphemic (written) Kisses
Rodney "I Love The Word" Boyd

OF SOWERS,SEEDS,AND SOIL

Salutations Oh Ye Saints and Sinners. I find myself falling in both categories at times...that would make me a Sainner.

Jesus was a wonderful teacher who would relate spiritual truths of The Kingdom with comparisons that the common man could relate to. He used what was known as parables. One of the parables used was known as The Parable Of The Sower. His disciples came to Him after he had taught a group using the Parable of the Sower. They began asking Him about the parables. "He was saying to them, To you has been given the MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD; but to those who are OUTSIDE get everything in PARABLES." (Mark 4:10-11) Jesus then gave the reason, why He spoke in parables..."IN ORDER that while seeing, they may see and NOT perceive...and while hearing, they may hear and NOT understand lest they return again and be forgiven."
(Mark 4:12) That on the surface is an odd statement...but the things... the mysteries of the Kingdom of God...are not toys to be played with and then discarded...they are not like pearls that are cast before swine...where the swine turn around and run you down. They (mysteries of the Kingdom) are for those who are sincere in their faith. Those who will hunger and thirst for the things of God.

Jesus then questions them..."Do you not UNDERSTAND THIS PARABLE? And how will you UNDERSTAND ALL THE PARABLES?"
(Mark 4:13) Remember...Jesus spoke in many parables. He implies here that the key to understanding them lies with understanding this parable. Let's take a look and see what's to understand...so we can unlock other KINGDOM PARABLES.

The first character is the SOWER. The sower is the one who goes out into the fields...and BROADCASTS, scatters...SOWS this thing called the SEED.

Jesus begins to speak of the things that would HINDER the seed from PRODUCING what it was designed to grow.

He mentions 4 types of SOIL.

(1) Packed Soil/The Road (2) Rocky or Stony soil (3) Thorny soil (good soil). Each of the 3 soils had a quality about them that would hinder the seed from doing what it was designed to do...produce. The GOOD SOIL would produce.

In Jesus' explanation of the parable He identifies the various components.

1. The Sower: This could be the Father, the one who speaks the Word.

2. The Soil: This is the heart of the one who receives the Word.

3. The Seed: This is the Word of God
I have often wondered why there would be such an attack on the SEED/WORD in the life of the believer. It is amazing to me...that as powerful as the WORD is...that it can be made of none effect in our lives. The mustard seed...the smallest seed...can be planted and a tree can grow to house birds of the air.
Our faith only has to be the size of a grain of mustard seed...but even that can be hindered. Why is there so much OPPOSITION of the SEED/WORD being planted in the SOIL/HEART. Because FAITH comes by HEARING...and HEARING by the WORD OF GOD. The reason for the opposition is the devil knows that if the WORD/SEED is planted in our SOIL/HEART...the FAITH COMES...and if we are men and women of FAITH...we are a tremendous THREAT to the kingdom of the devil. We will become men and women of FAITH that will PRODUCE/BE CARRIERS of the KINGDOM OF GOD (righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost)...here on earth as it is in heaven...and the gates of hell shall not prevail. No seed...No faith...No threat.

As disciples/believers...we have the ability and authority to deal with the things that would pollute our soil and make it GOOD SOIL

In the parable...the soil types are defined:

1. Beside the road: The seed/word is sown...the birds..aka the devil. The devil comes and snatches the word heard immediately.

2. Rocky/Stony: The seed/word is sown...the word is heard and immediately received with joy...but it has NO FIRM ROOT in themselves and AFFLICTIONS/PERSECUTIONS arise because of the word...and they immediately FALL AWAY.

3. Among the Thorns: The seed/word is sown...the word is heard...and the WORRIES OF THE WORLD and the DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES and the DESIRES FOR OTHER THINGS enter in...and CHOKE the WORD ...and it (the Word) becomes UNFRUITFUL.

The final SOIL is GOOD SOIL. Of course the good soil is free of packed ground, rock, thorny soil. In Luke 8...the good soil is defined as..." the ones who have heard the word/seed...in an HONEST...and GOOD HEART...and HOLD FAST...and BEAR FRUIT...with PERSEVERANCE. (Luke 8:15)

In Psalm 37:3...we are encouraged to...in the face of evildoers and wrongdoers...to trust in the Lord...do good...and CULTIVATE faithfulness. The word cultivate means to feed securely or feed on His faithfulness. In our soil we need to cultivate...weed out thorns, pick out rocks, shew away birds, and fertilize our soil (1) be honest (2) hold fast (3) persevere. This will insure GOOD SOIL...that will produce 30 fold, 60 fold, and 100 fold.

In John 15...we are encouraged to keep hooked into the branch (Jesus) and the branches (us) will BEAR FRUIT. The amount will be dependent on how we allow the vine dresser (The Father) as He takes away...lifts us up out of the mud...washes us off...ties us closer to the branch...and prunes us (cuts away the useless stuff). The amount of fruit production is (1) No fruit (2) Some fruit (3) More fruit (4) Much fruit. Much like our parable of the sower/seed/soil...Fruit production/crop production is the WILL OF GOD IN OUR LIVES.

I recently was going through some rough times mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I wrote Bruce Coble...and vented...and he called me...and did the Bruce thing (aka encouragement). In the encouragement...he pointed me back to the Word of God...and specifically told me to read Mark 4... and then asked me to tell him...which soil did I think that I was. I ask you the same question. Whatever you are going through...what soil are you. Do you need to cultivate the soil...and then PERSEVERE.


Love and "Happy Fruit/Crop Bearing" Kisses
Rodney "Fertilized" Boyd