July 12th, 2020

​July 12, 2020
Today’s devotion is based on the parable of the sower.  I am taking a closer look at Matthew 13:23, “But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it.”
We want to be the ‘good soil’ that thrives. We don’t want to fall victim to the evil one as seen in the Lord’s Prayer.  We don’t want suffering to draw us away, and we don’t want to be led astray by our worries and our desires for the wealth of this world. We want to hear the word, and we want to understand what we hear. We have received much, so it should be natural that we want to learn more about God and his plan for us. But, so often we fail to read God’s Word and so are set upon by the devil’s lies. We need the Holy Spirit.
Please pray with me the prayer for today: Heavenly Father, gracious God, creator and sustainer of all things, seen and unseen, I need your help to be the good soil, so that I can hear your word and not be distracted from it. Protect me from the evil one, from the ways of the world, and from my own selfish desires. Help me to understand what your Holy Spirit is teaching me. In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen.