THE KING’S BUSINESS
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w asted sefed, b u t d o n ’t g et d isco u rag ed , som e day yo u w ill strik e th e “ 100-fold” m an.
te a r in g fru it th ro u g h y ears to com e in ev er-w id en in g circles. T h e re a re fo u r k in d s o f soil, o r classes o f , h eare rs. T h é first' class is lik e th e tro d d e n p ath o v er , w hich th e feet an d w heels o f th e w o rld h av e gone u n til th e re is no recep tiv ity fo r th e W o rd o f G od. T h e seed sow n in such h e a rts is sn atch ed aw ay by th e D ev il th ro u g h his ev ér-p re se n t em issaries, “fow ls o f-th e a ir.” T h e D ev il’s g re a te s t aim in life is -to keep, m en from believing th e W o rd an d being saved. T h e D evil n e v er lets th e g rass g row u n d e r h is fe e t; -he com es as soon as th e seed is sow n. T h e second class o f h e a re rs, is lik e th e th in soil orj an o u tcro p p in g ledge of rock. T h ey h e ar th e W o rd an d im m ed iately w ith o u t reflection u p o n its real im p o rt an d th e co st of- accep tin g it, receive it w ith joy. T h e re is resp o n se to th e tru th in th is c ase; it tak es g rç a t h o ld u p o n the em o tio n s b u t n o t u p o n th e g re at deeps of th e w ill. A deep w o rk ,is b e tte r th a n -a sw ift one; T h e th ird class of h e a re rs is lik e rich, p rom isin g b u t pre-o ccu p ied soil. T h e re a re alreatjy th o rn s in th e soil and th e seed sow n falls u p o n th ese. T h ey g row up w ith th e ir ra n k lu x u ria n t g ro w th and th e good seed is c h o k ed an d th e early p ro m ise com es to n o th in g . In th is case th ere h as been re al a tte n tio n to th e W o rd an d ap p reciatio n o f it. I t h as tak e n som e hold upon th e w ill -but th e re h as n o t been w h o le h e a rte d su rre n d e r to it. S u ch a re capable o f b earin g fru it, if th ey w o u ld only -cast o u t th e th o rn s, b u t alas ! th ey w o n ’t. I t p ictu res m any, v ery m any, in th e ch u rch today. I t is w ell to n o te c arefu lly ju s t w h at th e th o rn s are. B u t th e re -is a fo u rth class, “g o o d g ro u n d .” T h ey “ hear .th e W o rd ,” i. e., th e y ap p reciate its v alu e an d give good heed. T h ey also “u n d e rsta n d ” it, i. e., tak e in its m ean in g an d its -v alu e an d its price. T h ey “accept it” in an “h o n e st an d good h e a rt,” n o t m erely h e a r b u t ta k e hold. L u k e ad d s th a t th ey * ‘h o ld it fa st” (L u k e 8:15 R. V .) : th ey w ill n o t give it up a t any cost. T h ese “b e ar fru it” in v a rio u s p ro p o r tions. . S o it is w ith o u r p re ac h in g / H ow d isco u rag ed w e g et o v er th e ap p aren tly
Wednesday, June 9. Mark 4:21-25.
E a rs a re giv en to h e ar w ith 'a n ç l th e .pos session o f h e arin g involves a g ra v e resp o n sibility. I f we_ h e ar th e rig h t th in g s in th e rig h t w ay it m eans ’life, b u t if w e listen to.’ th e. w ro n g th in g s, o r tu rn a d eaf e ar to th e r ig h t th in g s, it m ean s d eath . S o life an d d eath a re both d ep en d en t u p o n how we u se o u r ears. H o w solem n th e w o rd s are, especially in th ese days o f m u ltip ly in g e r ro rs, " t a k e HEED WHAT YE HEAR.” I f w e listen to the- tru th th a t is -'sp o k en to us,, m o re sh all be g iv en us, b u t if w e tu rn a d e af ear to 'th e tru th , n o t o n ly w ill it be tak e n from us~ b u t w e, sh all be given over to th e “w o rk in g o f e rro r th a t w e should believe a fie,” an d w ill th u s be lo st (2 Thess.- 2 : 10 - 12 ). T h e first o f th ese tw o p arab les is fo u n d only in th e G ospel o f M ark , b u t it is in th e clo sest relatio n to th e p arab les o f th e “ S o w er” an d th e “W h e a t an d T a re s ” fo u n d in th e 13th c h ap ter o f M atth ew . In th is p arab le, th e seed ag ain is th e W o rd (cf. L u k e 8 :1 1 ; 1 P et. 1 :2 3 ). I t is to be sow n in th e h u m an h e a rt. I t sp rin g s up a n d grow s, because it is a liv in g th in g . O u r L o rd Je su s sow s it an d so does ev ery te a c h e r an d p re ac h er o f th e W o rd . I t is a w o n d erfu lly co m fo rtin g th o u g h t th a t if w e sow th é tru e seed, it w ill g row even w h ile w e sleep (v. 2 7 ). W e do n o t k n ow how it grow s, n o r do we; n eed to know . A l] ‘w e n eed to know is th a t it w ill grow . T h e k in g d om o f G od ap p ears insignificant in its b eg in n in g s in th e h um an h e art, b u t d o n ’t b e d isco u rag ed , it w ill grow . I n th e C h ristia n life w e m u st n o t ex p ect th e full co rn in , th e ear a t th e b eg in n in g ; w e m u st be p a tie n t an d rejo ice in -th e “blade,” k n ow in g th a t “th e e a r” and “th e full co rn in th e e a r” w ill follow in th e ir season. Je su s is th e h a rv e ste r ; H e k n ow s Thursday, June 10. Mark 4:26-34.
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