Talk Tuesday - Bear Fruit With Patience

"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 
  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 
 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked it.   
  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold." Luke 8:5-8

When asked about this parable, Jesus explained that the seed is the word of GOD. Those by the wayside hear, but the devil comes and takes the word out of their hearts. The ones by the rock are those who receive the word with joy but they have no root. They believe only for a while and then fall away in a time of temptation. The seed which fell among the thorns are those who hear the word of God, but they are choked by the cares, riches and pleasures of this world.

"But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." Luke 8:15

After having a particularly difficult week physically, I sat alone at midnight pondering this parable. I felt discouraged and listless. Then I heard the words of a song by Chris Tomlin, 'How can I keep from singing your praise, how can I ever say enough, how amazing is Your love...I can sing in the troubled times and sing when I win. I can sing when I lose my step and fall down again. I can sing cause You pick me up, sing cause You're there. I can sing cause You hear me Lord, when I call to You in prayer.' 
Sometimes we feel overwhelmed, discouraged and forgotten. We are waiting, and waiting...and waiting. GOD has a plan. He is moulding us, pruning our branches and making us even more fruitful. I picked up my guitar that night and began to sing the words of the song, How Can I Keep From Singing. My pride hurts, my body hurts and my heart hurts but I remind myself to wait upon the Lord so that I, too, may bear fruit with patience. Oh, and remember to approach the throne of grace with confidence.

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16