Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 25: Year 1
Morning, Psalm 45; Evening, Psalms 47 and 48;
Ezra 5:1 to 17; Revelation 4:1 to 11; Matthew 13:1 to 9:
“Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” (Matthew 13: 8 and 9)
I think what we are supposed to listen to with our ears is that our hearts and minds should be like the good soil. I have never heard it preached this way, “We are to be the good dirt.”
We must notice that all the seed is the same and therefore good. What really matters is where it lands. These seeds are like the gifts of God and faith in God, given to us to bring forth a harvest pleasing to God.
But like the diverse terrain upon which some of the good seed falls, some of us are not conducive to making the most of God’s gifts to us. Some of us are too shallow and provide no foundation for our faith and gifts. Some of us are too occupied with worldliness to make good use of God’s gifts to us, which would actually make this world we are in transfixed and made a better place. Some of us misuse our gifts for personal gain thus let our gifts go as if taken away by birds.
But some of us, too few of us, actually receive, and make good use of God’s good gifts and so, make our world a better place for all who dwell therein.
We are called to be absorbent soakers of God’s seed putting everything else aside. It is in this way that we will do what is pleasing in God’s sight, thirty, sixty, and a hundred fold.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 