Title If a Seed is Planted 1
Contents When a farmer sows a seed, he does not just plant it blindly, but plant it with clear expectations.
Our Jesus also planted the seeds of the gospel in our hearts.
The gospel is the message that we receive forgiveness of sins and become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, who was crucified and died for our sins.
There is something to look forward to while planting the seeds of this gospel in our hearts.
You have to grow.
I am very happy when a young child becomes pregnant and is born into the world. And when a child grows up well, it also brings joy and laughter to the family. But this joy is also a big concern for the family if the child does not grow up. Therefore, it is good for living things to grow normally, whether it is an animal or a plant. In particular, God's children must grow in their faith.
John 5:24 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life, and will not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” According to these words, we have eternal life through faith in Jesus, and not only have we been set free from death, but we will not be judged when we are all judged after Jesus returns. Soon, you were born anew as a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ. So now we have to grow up.
So how can I grow up?
In 1 Peter 2:2 it says, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that through this you may grow up to salvation.”
It is because young children long for and receive their mother's milk every day and whenever they are hungry. When we, too, always long for God's spiritual milk, the Word, we can grow our faith normally.
Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
Hearing the food of the Word, our faith grows. Therefore, wherever you can hear the Word, you should always seek it out. In particular, if you are going to study the Bible, you have to apply first, and if you are going to worship, you must listen to the Word diligently. That's how your faith grows.
When children enter school, listen to their teachers and come home, they will definitely change.
You will use vocabulary you did not know before, and your behavior will change little by little. The more you listen, the more you grow. In particular, the characteristic of children who study well is that they listen to their teachers well.
Therefore, we must strive and work hard to listen.
Dear all!
Believers who long for the Word and like to worship will grow in faith. The representative church is the church of the Bereas mentioned in the Bible.
Acts 17:11 says, “The people of Berea were more gentle than the people of Thessalonica, and they received the word with eagerness of heart, and received the Scriptures daily and searched the Scriptures to see if they were so.”
It is said that the Bereas listened to the Word every day with earnest heart and searched the Bible. So, trust must grow. I pray that you too will grow in your faith just like the people of Berea.
2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
The Word of God is like a compass or map that teaches the course of life, so if you long for and listen to the Word of God, you will see yourself. What I need to fix, how I should live, and how I can receive blessings are all explained here.
But why is my faith not growing? It's because I can't hear the words normally.
There are several reasons why children do not eat.
First, when the child's body is not normal
In other words, a child cannot eat well when he is sick. This is true not only for children, but also for adults. The first thing that comes to mind when you lose your health is that you lose your appetite.
No matter how delicious a side dish is, I hate to look at it.
If our religious life is also sick, we lose our appetite for the Word, which keeps our faith healthy.
There are times when I mistakenly think, "I am the owner of a healthy faith" with the title of how long I have lived a religious life. There are plenty of people who are ill even if they have been living in faith for a long time, even if they have an office.
If I do not have longing for the Word, it is evidence that the disease of faith is deep.
If you go to church but do not have a thirst for the Word, it means you are definitely sick.
If you are sick, you cannot grow.
Not only does it not grow, it also forgets what it has. Those who are diligent in worship neglect worship. People who worked hard on BoA do not serve. People who lived a life of gratitude and tithing do not do this. Those who prayed do not pray. This is what happens when our faith is sick.
If there is any sickness in your appearance, you need to be healed quickly. Healing is possible through the Word.
If you work hard and listen to the Word, you will be healed. I pray for you to restore your faith and grow.
Second, the reason the child does not eat is that if he eats a lot of snacks, the child does not eat. After filling my stomach with this and other things all day long, I don't think about eating anymore.
As for how the Apostle Peter expressed snacks that were not a normal meal, 1 Peter 2:1
“All bitterness, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.”
When our souls are filled with bitterness, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slanderous words, the Word of God cannot be filled in our hearts. If it is filled with worldly things, the spiritual Word of God cannot be supplied. Therefore, when you come out to listen to the Word, you must come out with an empty heart, emptying out all the worldly things in your heart.
Third, it is very difficult to eat when you see children who are not active because they are always at home.
If a little bit does not fit in his mouth, he will not try to eat. It is common to throw out side dishes.
Even in our religious life, if we do not live according to God's Word and only use knowledge, we will not end with criticism and complaints.
So why do we need to grow in faith?
In Matthew 8:23 and below - Disciples who met the storm - "Lord, save us, for we are perishing" The disciples' cry - Verse 26 "Jesus said, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" You rebuked me, you little ones, because your faith did not grow.
In many places in the Bible, we see people being rebuked for not growing in their faith because they have little faith.
We too will be rebuked if our faith does not grow. Therefore, faith must grow.
Also, without faith, we cannot experience God's miracles.
In Matthew 9:14 and below, Jesus descends from the Mount of Transfiguration after praying - A man ran up to Jesus and fell on his face, have mercy on my son who is possessed by a demon and heal him. I brought them to your disciples, but they could not heal them. Verse 19, “He answered and said to them, “How long with you, and how long will I endure you, O perverse generation without faith, and how long shall I endure you? Bring him here.”
“If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Verse 23 “Jesus said to them, “If you can do it, what do you mean? Nothing is impossible for those who believe.” Jesus rebuked the demon and the demon went away.
If you have faith, history will appear according to that belief. let it be according to my belief
If you have great faith, you will experience great works, but if you have little faith, nothing will appear.
If you want to receive God's blessing, please have great faith. To do this, I pray that you will actively participate in worship and listen to the Word diligently to become a person of great faith.