Spread the Gospel - Plant the Word

The sower sows the word. Mark 4:14

I love to pluck up dried dandelions – the ones that hold the white seedlings set in the form of a globe – and blow. It was a favorite pastime as a child. I would watch the wind escort these seedlings to faraway places. My father discouraged me from doing this, so I practiced this pastime away from our own yard.

I didn’t realize when I blew these seeds into the atmosphere, I was acting out a principle of the word of God. Jesus said, “The sower sows the word.” Like farmers, we are to scatter the seed of God’s word all around us. We are to tell others about the goodness of God.

Each of us has a story to tell about how we received Christ into our hearts. Directly or indirectly, someone sowed the word of God into each of our lives to bring about the miracle of salvation within us.

When I was a new believer, I would look at a crowd of people and feel guilty because I was not reaching them for Christ. Now, I am more grounded in God’s love for me and I realize I cannot reach everyone with the gospel — but I can do my part.

I’ve created my own tracts to minister. I pass them out at restaurants and places of business. I simply hand them out with a smile and say, “I’d like to give you this. It is something I have written and I believe it will be an encouragement to you.” 90% of the time they receive it gladly.

Jesus told us to go and preach the gospel to all creation. He wants us to be encouraged in the unique ways that He has made us. We each have gifts and talents that God wants us to use to win the unsaved.

Pray and ask God to show you what your part is in the Great Commission. He is waiting for you to draw near to Him. He desires to use you to scatter the seed of God’s word within your sphere of influence. Who knows, He may even use you to reach those in far away places.

Tom Toya lives with his wife Lou and his Maltese Muy-Muy in Carol Stream, IL. He has been writing for several years and is a graduate of the Christian Writers Guild. He has written articles that were published in magazines and newspapers. You can read more from him through his blog at                                www.sendme-tomandlou.blogspot.com.

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Same ol' same ol'

But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love. Acts 20:24

My ears rang with the harsh sound of my dog barking early in the morning. All I wanted was to roll back over and sleep. What was the point of waking up when I only repeated the same routine every day? Eat, work, sleep—a never-ending cycle. Nothing seemed worth the monotony.

I’ve found much of the world unconsciously thinks the same way. People buy into a lifestyle of living only for the sake of living—never truly knowing if there’s a point to all of it. Sometimes they stop to consider the question, but then only go on about their business with a heavier heart after coming to no conclusions. Why should I be any different?

A couple of days later I was reading a book about martyrs and their sacrifices for Christ, when I read this verse in Acts: But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love.  I lingered on it because it answered the questions I’d been asking days earlier. Paul clearly said my purpose should be to tell other people about God’s wonderful kindness and love. I am on a divine assignment.

The next time I went to work, I had a chance to share my faith with a co-worker and I saw just how fulfilling it was to do what God had set up for me to do. I left that conversation more encouraged and excited than the man I’d been talking with. I now knew this was what I was made to do.

That one little verse in the middle of Acts changed the way I live. It can change the way you live too. No longer are you confined to a colorless world, but you are given purpose because of the command of God to share the gospel with the world. The next morning it was a little easier to wake up.

When you feel the nudge to share God’s word, heed the call. You’ll find satisfaction in the task

Aimee Lynch is a homeschooled high-school student in Gaithersburg, MD. She has a heart for children whose parents are divorced because she grew up in a single-parent home after her own parents divorced when she was five. Her blog, allfilledup.wordpress.com, is a place where she seeks to encourage other kids in difficult situations. In what little free time she has, she enjoys gardening, reading, getting involved in various youth projects, taking walks on the beach, and writing articles.
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*Photo by David Castillo Dominici – used by permission FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Weeded Out

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23

I spent today yanking it out. No, I’m not a dentist. I’m a gardener and a sinner. While weeding, I realized how much weeds are like sin. They’re thieves, taking up real estate that doesn’t belong to them; much like sin does. They both shadow objects from the light and, like sin, weeds suck out the nutrients and rob those entangled in them of their full potential and future growth.

Noble plants like Morning Glory and Mint can also wreak havoc in the garden left unchecked. There are like sins that are noble — sins we do that seem right — noble gestures — but if they aren’t done in accordance with God’s plan or are directly contrary to what He’s asked us to do, they are still sin.

Weeding takes time and diligence. It can’t be done quickly if it’s to be done thoroughly. It’s not just the big weeds or sin that need to be removed, it’s all of them. Weeding is hard work. My body and face contort as I yank, sweat, stretch, and groan.

Weeding the garden, and our hearts, is a battle. To guard our hearts requires vigilance because the status of our heart determines the course of our life. Keeping our heart free from sin will enable it to grow unhindered.

Do you have a weed growing in your heart that needs to be yanked? Get on your knees and pull hard, then watch what God will do.

Connie Pilston Shoemaker resides in Pittsburgh and has been writing and speaking for more than twenty years. Using God’s canvas of creation, Connie weaves together the story of our most important relationship on her blog “Kissed by the Creator” (www.kissedbythecreator.com) . She has been published in Parent Talk, Vibrant Life, Cross Country Skier and Backpacker magazines. She is putting the finishing touches on her first book.
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Was Lost but now am Found

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Hebrews 5:7 NIV

A hummingbird trapped in our garage furiously tried to peck his way out. The more my husband tried to help the bird by showing him the way out, the more frantic and stuck the bird became. After many fruitless attempts to get out, the bird decided to rest on the end of a broom that my husband held up. Once he stopped fighting and laid peacefully on the broom, my husband gently led him out of the garage to safety.

Sometimes I feel like the frantic hummingbird. A problem comes into my life and I begin to spend my energy worrying and trying to fix the problem. I want to take control of the situation and rely on my own abilities to fix the concern. The more I struggle, the greater the difficulty becomes and the wearier I grow.

Jesus offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and God heard Him because of His faithful submissions. When we choose to first stop and pray for wisdom, our problems are much easier to handle. Our concerns are in the hands of an almighty God who takes care of anything. Jesus regularly took his concerns to God in prayer and His willingness to do whatever God asked him to do drew God’s undeniable attention.

When you’re faced with problems, are you immediately filled with anxious thoughts or do you pause and take the time to talk to God about your fears and concerns? Cry out to Him first and avoid being trapped by worry. Take the hand of a powerful and wise God who will gently guide you to safety.

Kim Wells is married to her soul mate, Jeremy, and is the mother of three active young boys. She enjoys writing and has authored The Charter School Leader’s Guide to NCLB for the Center for Charter Schools at Central Michigan University. Kimberly takes pleasure in serving in her local church by teaching preschoolers and leading a small group with her husband.
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Don't Throw Stones

…Neither do I condemn you… John 8:11

Throwing stones is dangerous. Windows can be broken, someone may get a bruise, or my camper might end up with dents.

When I heard plink, plink, I peeked out my kitchen window. Two young neighbor children were peppering stones onto our driveway and a few of those stones hit our family’s camper.

If I yelled at the girls, as neighbors often did, it wouldn’t accomplish anything; that didn’t seem to work with them. So I left my home, crossed the yard, and knocked on their front door.

“Your girls are throwing stones and hitting my camper,” I told their dad. “Would you have them stop?”

“Your sons started it,” he shouted. Then he said the girls were actually throwing rocks at my sons who hid behind our camper, teasing them.

“They were aggravating us,” the girls chimed in.

Red-faced, I apologized to the man. “I’m sorry, but if you and I can agree that they will stop throwing stones, then I’ll talk to my boys too.” He agreed. I had a session with the boys and the trouble stopped.

When a woman in the Bible was caught doing wrong, the Pharisees and other leaders wanted to stone her as the Old Testament Law dictated. Appearing to care what Jesus thought, they asked Him what they should do. Jesus told them to go ahead and punish her . . .“If any one of you is without sin . . .”

Each man stood there for a minute and thought about his own life. They individually decided they didn’t qualify as a stone-thrower. No one flung a rock her way. No one was sinless.

Throwing stones, whether they are hard rocks or harsh words is not God’s way of dealing with sin. He offers forgiveness instead of condemnation.

When we feel like flinging a stone at someone, let’s consider if we’ve ever committed a sin. If we have, let’s just back slowly away offering a kind word or a prayer.

Phyllis Qualls Freeman has over two-hundred-fifty published devotionals, human interest, and other articles. She is working on her first book. Phyllis loves reaching out to touch those who have long-term, life-altering situations to share God’s love. Married to her college sweetheart for fifty years, they have three children and five grandchildren. Pqfreeman40@yahoo.com.

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Desperation

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”  Matthew 4:17 NIV

The desperation of life can baffle the mind and send fear in tremors of uncertainty throughout the body. Most mornings I enjoy a blast of news and a soothing song to begin my day. But I’m on the alert as overwhelming reports of biblically foretold events, although reported in monotone, have caught my attention. Excitement and anxiety seem to clash as I take note of rapidly changing events around the world. For most, the reality of truth fails to inject concern or dread as life continues without a second glance into the future.

The question remains — are we ready for what is ahead? As Christians, a departure into a heavenly future may be near, but for non-believers the outlook can be staggering. And if we’re not prepared for what is ahead, now is the time to get our lives in order.

On the flip side, extreme urgency rules our lives. People rush headlong into their own pleasures, but without purpose. While searching for God they reject the very one who can save them from themselves. Time continues to pass at an exceptional speed as the questions on our minds are often verbalized—”Where did all the time go?”

Jesus preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” He knew the truth of the future would become clear. He longed for each of us to know Him and to share eternity with Him upon His return.

Prepare for what is ahead by studying what the Bible has to say about the future. Trust God, the master of the universe, for salvation. And then, stand firm in God’s word, the word that has prevailed throughout generations of time. Then look up. The redemption of the saints is drawing nigh. Are you ready?

Behold, I come like a thief. Blessed is he who stays awake… Revelation 16:15 NIV

Phoebe Leggett is a full-time freelance writer. In 2007 she was presented two awards for her work at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference in Ridgecrest, North Carolina. She makes her home in Greenville, South Carolina with husband Dana and three felines, and to be close to her children and granddaughter.

In 2004 she faced the darkest day of her life when she learned her youngest son was dead. The only way she survived her trauma was with God by her side. Her first nonfiction is titled It’s My Time To Grieve.

As poet and writer, her articles, stories, and poetry have been published in adult and children’s Christian literature as well as online through www.christiandevotions.us. She serves as Assistant Editor for www.DevoKids.com and she contributes poetry bi-monthly to Critter Magazine. Her work has been published in Slate & Style, Shemom, Harold and Banner Press in Primary Pal: Pacific Press Publishing Association, in Our Little Friend, MS Focus and MS Connection Magazines, Who’s DANN?—a monthly magazine, Gospel Publishing House in LIVE; a weekly journal; the Pentecostal Evangel—an Assemblies of God publication, Heartland Boating, and the Upper Room magazine. Several of her poems have been read on air at WORD Radio in Greenville, South Carolina. Visit her online at www.phoebe-leggett.com.

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Don't Let this Worry You

Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. Philippians. 3:13-14 The Message

I opened a quarterly e-mail from my investment company. The first line really caught my attention, not because of its content, but rather its significance. Don’t let this 90-day report affect your long-term goals.

“The first thing you’ll look for when you open your quarterly statements is whether your investments are up or down. If you find a significant change in the value of your investments, it’s going to mess with your head.”

I stopped right there. Wow. What a thought. How many times did I do that with other things in my life? The long commute to work, frequent interruptions, laundry that still hasn’t been done. Any of these can get me worked up.

When I focus on those, they can mess with my head too. And inevitably I fail to notice the blessings God has given me — waking up in a comfortable home, having enough food to eat, and having family and friends who love me.

It’s not just the little things that can do that though. Occasionally life throws real curve balls. It’s only natural, normal, and legitimate to become upset or worried. Some might wonder whether we were in touch with reality if we didn’t. Serious health problems, threats of foreclosure, or never-ending family conflicts are all significant problems. Surely we aren’t supposed to just ignore all this. Of course not.

Paul lived through some horrendous experiences—shipwrecks, floggings, hunger and thirst for days on end. Yet, he persevered in his faith and service to God. His secret was his focus.

My guess is, it was that very same focus that despite his circumstances, kept his eye on what God had called him to. He remembered what God had done for him in the past.

It’s easy to forget all those things as we go about our days. Maybe we don’t actually forget. We just push them to the back of our minds as life happens. Perhaps that’s why it’s so important to keep going back to God throughout the day, so He can remind us of who He is, and that He’s faithful to care for us as His children.

Focus your eyes on Him and He will see you through.

Ellen Andersen is a member of the Upstate Fellowship of Christian Writers in Greenville, SC. She serves as a Stephen Minister at her church and is involved in a Women’s Bible Study. She is working on a memoir detailing how God used unforeseen circumstances in her life to change her focus and make her more dependent on Him.
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I just love a soft, warm rain, and I love to hum or sing in the rain as I walk. I refuse to use an umbrella unless there is a drenching rain. A simple accessory, many of us carry one in our purse. Surely one is in our car. Positively we have an umbrella in our home. Popping open an umbrella is the smart thing to do when we need a covering. But when we don’t avail ourselves of the umbrella, we get wet, sometimes very wet. I should know.

The word umbrella comes from the Latin root word “umbra,” meaning shade or shadow. There is evidence of the umbrella in ancient artifacts and in the art of Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and China. The Chinese decided to wax or lacquer their paper parasols and use them in the rain. By the sixteenth century the umbrella gained popularity in the western world.

The Bible states that God is our shade and our covering from the storms of life which pound us. He spreads his own protective umbrella over us as a shield when it is needed.

We may experience a day which brings trauma or a tragic circumstance. Then we can slip under God’s umbrella of peace and protection. When life pounds us financially, what can we do? Where can we go? We can take refuge under his covering. We can know that we will survive and not be destroyed.

Does being under the umbrella of his love mean that we never have problems? That isn’t the purpose of his love and blessing. He knows we will have trouble in this world, but he knows that when we step under his umbrella, there is joy. We can sing even though the storms come.

Do you slip under God’s umbrella when things get hectic? When your days are tough? When you feel pelted by life’s storms? Ask him to place it over you today.

Phyllis Qualls Freeman has over two-hundred-fifty published devotionals, human interest, and other articles. She is working on her first book. Phyllis loves reaching out to touch those who have long-term, life-altering situations to share God’s love. Married to her college sweetheart for fifty years, they have three children and five grandchildren. Pqfreeman40@yahoo.com

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It was 1992. I was in Prague, Czechoslovakia and I was on a mission to find the perfect doll. I couldn’t have been in a better place because these unique Russian nesting dolls were everywhere—in shops, at flea markets, and on the streets.

After shopping awhile, I saw a doll with bright green and pink accents at one of the sidewalk vendors and bent to pick it up. Closer inspection revealed it wasn’t the quality I was seeking. As I lowered it back to the sidewalk, the bottom section fell off and rolled across the pavement. I picked it up and noticed the fall had chipped the doll’s finish.

“Okay?” the Czech seller asked nervously. I nodded yes and quickly returned the doll to its display with the chipped section away from the dealer’s vision. But as I walked away, my heart was heavy in my chest.

I had always prided myself on being honest—telling clerks when they’d undercharged me, not exaggerating in conversations, and even admitting errors that made me look bad. But I’d just lied, and done it so easily. The chipped doll wasn’t actually my fault—the bottom was loose. But that wasn’t the point. The point was, I’d seen the chip, but told the dealer everything was okay so he wouldn’t blame me or pressure me to buy it. In this area of my life—where I’d prided myself on standing firm—I’d just fallen flat on my face.

I turned around that day in Prague, went back to the unsuspecting salesman and bought the most important doll in my collection. It’s not an especially pretty doll, nor was it worth the price I paid. But it’s an important reminder that I must always be careful, even in areas where I think I am standing firm.

Is there an area where you are overly confident in your righteousness? Give it some careful prayer.
Gail Burton Purath is a former Army wife, former missionary to Budapest and a grandmother of seven. She’s the Christian Women’s Encouragement Examiner, the Charlotte Grandparenting Examiner, manager of WOW, Writing on the Word, and writer of Bible Love Notes, which features one-minute devotions for women each weekday.
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“If the cancer comes back, you will die.”

My oncologist sure didn’t mince words. And being a nurse, I knew what he meant. I’d seen it many times over the years. But chemo? My body still hurt from the surgery a month earlier. My hair would fall out. Then radiation.

Lord, I am just so tired!

I looked out onto the pewter sky that seemed just a shade lighter than the dirty streets surrounding the hospital. It was cold out yet I could see a front door hanging from its broken hinges, children playing in the street with trash blowing past them. Where was hope? Hope was heaven….no trash, no sickness. I thought of loved ones waiting there for me and our glorious reunion. So many times I’d yearned for my heavenly home, especially after my son’s death in 2002. My heart ached for him, for another place. I considered giving up.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels. Funny God should use the frailty of mankind to send forth His message — sometimes as the torch of revival, but usually as a smoking flax. A small ember that ignites the next soul, setting another heart ablaze. After the apparent failure of the cross, the disciples returned to fishing, broken and confused. Then Jesus taps them on the shoulder, saying, “Excuse me, but you have this treasure…” and then, after they had been fed and filled, “Now go!”

These earthen vessels, no matter how young and fit or broken and bruised, are just that, vessels (or clay jars another translation says). Clay jars were used to carry water, to bring life to those who thirst. My purpose became clear.

I turned from the window and felt the conviction of God’s hand upon my heart. My thoughts had been selfish. If I left, who would tell the story He’d given me to tell?

However crazy it seems, our God in heaven, the creator of all things, the great I AM, has chosen us, a peculiar people, to bring this treasure, His son Jesus Christ, to a dying world, to the gray streets outside. Earthen vessels like you and me, not a choir of angels.

“Okay,” I said to my doctor. “Let’s do it.”

When decisions press down, push back toward the God who can take all things into control.

Robin Farnsworth is a wife, mother, grandmother, registered nurse, and most importantly, a child of God. She has served Christ in many capacities over the last twenty-three years: as a pastor’s wife for five years, through music, in women’s Bible studies, and in writing and directing plays. In 2002, Robin’s world was shattered when her oldest son, Spencer, was murdered. He died giving his life to save another young man. Choosing to forgive her son’s murderers and to walk in faith, Robin loves to share her testimony of God’s grace, redemption, and hope. Robin resides on Cape Cod with her husband Calvin. She is currently freelance writing and working on a memoir. She loves serving God in her local church and taking trips to North Carolina to see her two sons, her daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters. To contact Robin or request her as a speaker at your event, she can be reached at: givingglory2him@gmail.com.

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