THE KING’S BUSINESS
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a prepared heart? It is a blessed privilege to be the sower of the Word, only eternity will reveal the full harvest. Any one can be a sower of the seed, either as a minister, or as a Sunday school teacher, or a street preacher, or personal worker, or in other ways. The Word has the power of regen eration in it (1 Peter 1:23), and of eternal life in it (John 6:68). But it actually brings eternal- life only in hearts where it takes root. Some are like the trampled road, the world has gone over their hearts until no seed of life can root there unless the heart is broken up by God’s plow. Some are like the shallow soil on the rock ledge; where the seed springs quickly but has no root; it has only touched the feelings and has not reached the deep sub-soil of the will; a single hot day of persecution withers it. Some are like the rich soil that promises well but is full of thorns. But there is also “good ground.” Who these are we will learn further on. But here we learn how abundant is the harvest, sometimes even one hundred fold and at the very least thirty fold. We need not only to be careful about our sowing, but to be careful regard ing the seed that is sown in our hearts. Ears were given to us to hear with and above all to hear the Word of God with. Most of our ears are open for anything that comes along except the Word of God. Friday, February 19. Matthew 13:10-17. Our Lord explains His use of parables: it was an act of grace on one side, of judg ment on the other, grace to those who de sired to know the truth and judgment upon those who did not wish to know the truth. The object of the parable was to reveal the truth in the most impressive way to those who loved it, but to hide it from those who had no desire for it. To the one that had because he used what was already given more should be given; to every one who had not because he had turned a deaf ear to what had been spoken, even that which he had would be taken away. The people as a whole were doing just what Isaiah
at the preaching of Jonah after three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, but the men of America and England refuse to repent at the preaching of One who after three days and nights’ experience of death was raised from the dead. Wednesday, February 17. Matthew 12:43-50. It is not enough that the unclean spirit go out of a man, unless the Holy Spirit comes in to take his place and take pos session of the man, the unclean spirit will not stay out of the man, but will return to the house which he considers his own and enter again and worse still oftentimes will bring seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they will not only enter in but “dwell” there, and the last state of the man becomes worse than the first. It is not enough that the house be “swept and gar nished,” if it is “empty.” The house should not only be swept and garnished but occu pied, occupied by Him who alohe can keep it clean, the Holy Spirit. Reformation is not salvation. It is not enough to reform a man, he must be born again. Even Jesus" own mother did not understand Him. She thought He needed some one to look after Him, and therein she was sadly mistaken. How unlike the Mary that many deluded souls worship. Jesus turned from her to His disciples; and it was a wonderful word He spoke about them. He said that whoso ever did the will of His Father in heaven occupied with Him the position of all three, brother, sister and mother. It is possible then for any of us to enter into the closest kinship to Him by listening to His voice and doing the will of the Father as He re veals it. How blessed is obedience to God. Thursday, February 18. Matthew 13 :l-9. The Word of God is “seed” (cf, Luke 8:11). It has life and power of growth, it brings forth fruit. Who can tell what harvest may ultimately come from one grain of wheat, and who can tell what harvest may come from one word of truth sown in
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