Seeds: 1 John 3: Prayers and Poetry

                Seeds

                Sin so deep

                an ongoing thread

                often not even recognized

                yet ongoingly rules our days.

                Seeds of righteousness

                embedded in our hearts removed

                when we accept Holy protection

                through born new forgiveness.

                Sin can be dissolved

                turned into grateful

                light abiding daily

                through heart and mind and choices.

                Seeds of love and redemption.

Psalm 107:10: "There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains."

                

                

Reflection: Seeds: Grace in the Wilderness: Prayers and Poetry

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Reflection Questions

1. What seeds do you want planted in your heart?

2. What kind of excavation do you need to make room for them?

3. With whom can you grow with to support each other?

4. What kind of harvest do you look forward to?

5. Read 1^st Corinthians 3:6-9. How does this passage apply to your seeds today? How in the days ahead?

Seeds: Grace in the Wilderness: Prayers and Poetry

Jeremiah 31: 27 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast.”

Will sow.

Days are coming. The seeds will be sown in His time and in His place of choice.

Yet, we rarely recognize the impact, or the magnitude, because even when we catch a glimpse of His possibilities, all we notice is a small seed.

And we have seen so many tiny seeds crushed or ruined or destroyed. So we do not often take them seriously when we do catch a glance.

Yet the timing, the sowing, the reaping, will all be completed in His purpose. Whether we participate in silence or in voice, He can seed each of us with His light and truth and grace. Whether or not we see the harvest for ourselves or for others.

Forgive us Lord for fear and anxiety that prevents us from being faithful to Your seeds sown in us and through us. Please keep us listening and waiting on Your will in Your time. Grace our hearts so that they are filled with Your purpose and Your truth.

Your thoughts,

Refining Words

SEEDS

Seeds sown in glimmer

thoughts—a flash,

a shadow,

a hope.

Take root in heart

form purpose

breathe in truth.

Stamina, courage,

commitment, mark

days unfolding

to completion.

Brings glory.

John 17

Kingdom Manna

Key

Mark 4:5, Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil.

Heat scorches. Hot sun rays burn away new grass. Seasons of drought decimate plants not rooted deep in soil and moisture. The land becomes hard, brittle, open gashes of cracked dry ground.

Hot winds whirl through our lives. Raising temperatures of anxiety, worry, fear. Starting small fires. Is the company going under? What will the doctor’s report say? How can I pay these bills? If God really cares, why is this happening? When our roots are shallow our faith can split open. When our seeds are planted deep in God’s word He reminds us, “I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”

Hold me firmly in Your grip, Lord, I pray, when harsh storms attack and troubles dry up my feelings and hopes and trust. Do not let me fall away. Keep me rooted and grounded in Your soil-deep, deep down-sustained by You.

Psalm of Worship: Psalm 112:6-7

For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.

They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.

Kingdom Manna

Key

Matthew 13:24, He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field.”

My immediate question is why would someone not plant good seed. It makes no sense to work for a harvest without beginning from the expectation that all the labor and time and cost will result in profit.

God asks us the same question. “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” How are my days and thoughts and energy spent? Is my focus directed toward good seed, or do I just plant whatever is at hand—regardless of quality?

Manna that truly sustains is Your seed, Lord. Help me to take the time to think through all my commitments and priorities and responsibilities to see if they are truly good according to Your measure. Am I capable of doing thankless tasks with a servant heart, or am I doing any tasks with a bitter spirit, creating bad seed.

Guard me in Your refuge, Lord. In Your field. Then all that I produce will be a harvest of hope. A rich harvest.

Psalm of Worship: Psalm 34:8

O taste and see that the Lord is good;

happy are those who take refuge in him.

Kingdom Manna

Yoke

Matthew 13:31, He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field;”

Power packaged in a small parcel. We tend to ignore or disdain the ‘least’ whether people or property. Who can doubt, though, the sting of a wasp, the persistence of a fly, the determination of an ant?

Mustard seeds are among the smallest of plants yet produce a rapid, abundant, visible harvest. Tiny start. Tremendous yield. Continuous miracle that from minuscule seeds grow crops and flowers and trees. Beginnings unseen buried in a dark earth their shells split, their inner life tumbles out, and multiplies.

Protected at first. Before they reach the surface and the blast of wind and sun. Hidden until the right time. Secure until their strength will stand the barrage.

Mysterious germination. Seeds of vegetation, seeds of life, seeds of faith. Disturbing the confines of their space, insisting on change.

Potential growth or possible blight. Where am I seeded Lord? In Your word, or in the world. In a hidden life of prayer, or a hothouse of pride? Plant Your life in me. Crack open my self-contained shell and grow me up in You, Lord. Into kingdom fields.

Psalm of Worship: Psalm 92:12-13

The righteous flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.