ESOCS Devotional 6 February 2024 – Healing, A Secret to Kingdom Advancement
MEMORY VERSE: “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Matthew 13:9
TEXT: MATTHEW 13:1-9
The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
A story was told of a lady, an elderly lady. She had a very embarrassing problem – she kept farting intermittently. So, she went to the doctor and said, “Doctor, doctor, I got a big problem. A very embarrassing problem. I keep farting. But the special thing about my farting is that it is odourless and it is soundless. But it troubles me a lot because I pass a lot of gas. In fact, from the time I walked into your office to the time I got seated, I’ve farted 10 times already.”
The doctor looked at her and said, “Ma’am, I know exactly what you need. Take this medicine three times a day for a week, and come back and I’ll tell you what to do next.” So, after a week, she came back, but this time she’s very angry and furious. She said, “Doctor, your medicine is useless, bo yong eh (colloquial for useless). Because after taking it for one week, my poot poot (colloquial for passing gas) that used to be odourless and soundless, they now became very smelly.”
The doctor said, “Cool down ma’am, it’s okay. I gave you medicine to clear your sinuses. Now you can smell. The next thing I want to work on is your hearing.” Some people have a problem with their hearing. They do not hear the right way.
Different people benefit differently from hearing God’s Word. The difference is in how they hear. Jesus teaches about four kinds of hearers in the Parable of the Sower. You can be calloused, careless, cluttered or cultivated. Perhaps you have been troubled as to why some people do not seem to respond to sound preaching, or why some seem to believe and now have fallen away from the faith. May this message explaining the way we hear God’s word answer your questions and more. Jesus uses earthly examples, earthly situations and items of life, to compare them to spiritual truths. So, parables are earthly stories that teach heavenly truths. And they are a kind of a secret language because only those who Jesus reveals the interpretation, will understand the spiritual lesson behind it (Ps. 25:14). Otherwise, it remains a riddle, a mystery, secret of the Kingdom.
And the parable of the sower addresses the problem of hearing. John the Beloved stressed on this in Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Until you hear, nothing happens. It is important to hear God’s word clear and not be confused about it.
- Pray earnestly that God may grant you’re his discerning Spirit to enable you understand His word when you hear it; and then do it.
- Father, I don’t want to be a hearer of your word only but a faithful doer also.
Further Reading: Isaiah 58:6-12; Micah 2:1-13; 1 John 3:1-13
ESOCS Devotional 6 February 2024
