Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.”
Matthew 13:24-26

The Problem With Weeds

Weeds are a problem. If you do any kind of landscaping or gardening—weeds are bound to confront you. You can plant flowers, plants, or vegetables in fresh, cleared soil, but before long, little green weeds start breaking through the soil. Weeds are everywhere. Left on their own, they are liable to choke the life out of the plants you originally planted.

Weeds have always been a problem. Yet when Jesus tells a story about weeds and wheat, he’s not giving advice about how best to grow your garden. Rather, Jesus helps us understand why evil is still present, even as the good news of forgiveness and life through him goes out to the world.

The gospel goes out through us to the world. We share the good news of the Savior with the people in our lives. We live out our faith and speak up for it, but what happens? People oppose that message. They mock and ridicule those who believe it. They consider us out of touch with reality. Perhaps they even make life miserable. Like weeds, evil pops up wherever the gospel is preached or shared. In this sinful world, it’s inevitable.

The reality of evil in our world can fill us with doubt. Why doesn’t God’s Word work the way we expect? Is it somehow not powerful enough to change hearts? Why does evil still persist? So what can we do? It’s not so much what we do but what our God does. Yes, God allows evil in our world. Yet through his Word, he works faith in our hearts and even in the hearts of the people with whom we share that Word. As his gospel continues to go out through us to the world, the Lord will cause a great harvest of souls to grow!

Prayer:
O Lord, evil is all around me like weeds, threatening your harvest. Keep me from becoming discouraged as I share the gospel. Help me realize that your Word will always work, even in ways I do not expect. Amen.

[Jesus told the people] many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Matthew 13:3-9

Planting Seed

Songwriters have used it. Thinkers have used it. Investors have used it. Even Jesus Christ used it. Used what? They used the picture of planting seed to make a point. Jesus told a story about planting seed to teach us that when we hear and learn the Word of God, spiritual seed is planted in our hearts.

But, sadly, sometimes that seed doesn’t grow. People can get distracted from their relationship with God. And, without regular exposure to God’s Word and worship, their faith fails. In a way, they are like a child who excitedly plants a seed in a foam cup and waters it regularly. But a couple of days later, the child forgets about it, and the seed dries up.

But praise be to God, the seed he sows in some people’s hearts produces a bumper crop of spiritual fruits. As they are reminded of the forgiveness Jesus won for them on the cross and the eternal life he achieved for them when he rose from the tomb on Easter morning, they live their lives in service to him and the people he brings into their lives. God grant that this is true for you!

Prayer:
Dear Lord, plant the seed of your Word in my heart and make it grow into a fruitful plant of faith to give you glory. Amen.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it.
1 Corinthians 3:10

The Long Play

It must have been hard for the apostle Paul to leave each church he helped start. Usually, after just a short time, Paul had to move on to a different city for his mission work. Sometimes he had to leave due to persecution or because other places needed to hear the gospel of Jesus too. It’s easy to imagine why Paul had a hard time leaving each of the fledgling congregations he helped get off the ground. Maybe, in some ways, it felt like letting go of his baby—to let someone else hold it for a while.

But in our Bible verse today, we see Paul trusting that the work in each of those cities would continue. He got to lay the foundation, and someone else was coming along to build on it and finish the work.

We can get discouraged when we don’t see God’s kingdom built as swiftly as we’d like or not see people filling every pew in the church. We can get discouraged when that person we’ve been trying to reach out to hasn’t come to church yet.

But it’s good to have patience in this gospel-sharing work. Just because we don’t see immediate results doesn’t mean we should stop working to build up the Church of God. Like Paul, maybe we are just laying the groundwork for someone else to come along and build upon it further. This could apply in the ministry of a church or in the personal ministry of witnessing to others.

Even if the friend we invite to church doesn’t accept our invitation immediately, we at least built a foundation, planted a seed, and made a positive impression with them. We never know what God might have in store for them in the future and whom he might put in their life to continue building on that gospel foundation we began to lay down. We play the gospel-long game, trusting God’s long-term plans that he has for every person.

Prayer:
Lord, give me many opportunities to lay down gospel foundations for others in your Word. Amen.

“My word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:11

Our God Speaks No Empty Words

Imagine having the power to speak a command and knowing your words will always be followed exactly to the letter: your toddler always listens immediately when you tell them to get ready for bed, and your boss always listens to every recommendation you give. Our words don’t have that kind of power, but God’s words do. His words always accomplish the purpose that he has in mind.

Sometimes God’s Word carries out its purpose to convict a person of sin. It points out a person’s disobedience to God’s will, even if they’d rather not admit it. But God also uses his Word to carry out the purpose of curing the heart that is broken and guilty due to sin. Whether convicting of sin or comforting with the promise of his forgiveness, God will always make sure his Word accomplishes its purpose.

Just a few verses before the words of our Bible reading for today, God’s words are compared to the rain and the snow. When it rains or snows, you can guarantee the ground will get wet one hundred percent of the time. Sometimes the ground is drenched immediately by a downpour. Just like a person’s heart might be drenched by the storm surge of God’s powerful Word, sometimes the rain falls in a refreshing light sprinkle. God’s Word can also work in small and quiet ways in people’s lives. Sometimes the moisture falls to the ground as snow. The ground doesn’t get watered until the snow melts, and sometimes it takes a long time to happen. In the same way, sometimes God’s Word doesn’t seem to be doing anything in a person’s heart, but given time, it will accomplish God’s purpose according to his timetable.

Our God speaks no empty words, and we can trust that his Word will always work according to his perfect purpose.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for letting your Word work in my heart. Amen.

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
1 Corinthians 3:6,7

Plant the Word

Did you ever plant something but didn’t get to see whether it grew or not? Several years ago, I planted a garden. Then I moved to another city. I never found out whether the new residents kept up the garden, whether they watered and weeded the tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and melons.

Do you ever wonder whether your witnessing for Jesus bears fruit? What happened with that neighbor who came to church a few times before moving away? Did she look up the name of the church you gave her? Did she follow through on her promise to take the pastor’s instruction class? There are many times in life when we don’t get to see the results of our witness about the good news of salvation.

That fact shouldn’t bother us though. It didn’t bother Paul. He had come to Corinth on his second missionary journey to preach the gospel. Luke tells us that he stayed for eighteen months, and many were brought to faith. After he left, a man named Apollos became the leader of the church. But the congregation split into factions. Some favored Paul. Others said they were followers of Apollos. Paul attempted to bring those groups together. He pointed out that Apollos and he were merely servants of God. Both were doing the same work. Both were spreading the seed of the gospel—one planting, the other watering. Any and all blessings were strictly God’s. He alone was responsible for people coming to faith.

So it is in our witnessing. We talk to our friends and coworkers. We take them to a Bible class offered at church. We bring them to worship. That’s planting the seed. That’s letting the Word have a chance to take root in their hearts. Someone else may water the seed by teaching that new Christian. Finally, we pray that God will cause the seed to grow.

Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, give me eyes and ears of faith to trust that your Word is at work creating a harvest for you. Amen.

For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. . . . What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:18,19,24,25

Delivered Through Christ

Maybe you’ve heard some people describe the Christian life as “victorious.” But when the apostle Paul describes the Christian life here, it doesn’t sound victorious. It sounds like a struggle. And what Paul says here about himself applies to every Christian.

Living for Christ means being in a war. Every morning when you put your feet on the ground, you step onto the battlefield of temptation. This battle rages inside of you.

Within every Christian lives the sinful nature. Your sinful nature is why you question God”s Word and struggle with its teachings. Your sinful nature wants you to be in charge, not God. This is why you can continue to do the evil you do not want to do.

On this battlefield, we have all been battered and defeated. It makes you want to scream with Paul, “Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?”

Jesus, that’s who. The Bible tells us that Jesus “has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). So when you are troubled by your sins and by how often you have been defeated, know this: you have been delivered by the Savior who took your place in this battle and was perfect every day of his life. More than that, he died on the cross and gave his perfect life as the once and for-all sacrifice for all your sins. So even though you are not always victorious in your battle against sin, you are always delivered through Christ.

Prayer:
Jesus Christ my Lord, deliver me when the battle against temptation rages within. Amen.

[Jesus said] “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:29,30

An Easy Yoke

In today’s Bible verse, Jesus tells you that finding rest for your soul involves taking his yoke upon yourself. If you think that sounds counterintuitive, he reassures you that his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

And that, of course, makes no sense. If something is easy, it cannot be a yoke—a collar for doing hard labor. And if something is light, by definition, it is not a burden.

But this is what Jesus does: he turns things on their heads. With Christ, yokes become easy, burdens become light, death becomes life, despair becomes hope, and fear becomes faith.

So how is this not nonsense? Because Jesus does not say, “Take my yoke upon you and pull with me.” Instead, he says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.”

Come to Jesus in his Word, and listen to what he tells you. He teaches you that faith is what yokes you to him. In your walk of faith, you are not alone because Jesus walks with you. This makes the burden light because Jesus bears the weight, not you. Just walk along with him; Jesus does the heavy lifting so that you will find rest for your souls.

Those who are yoked to Christ can pray—anywhere, anytime, about anything. Why wouldn’t you? He knows you better than anyone else. No worry is too small for him to snuff out or too large for him to solve. So you can rest when you prayerfully pour it all on him.

Because that is Jesus’ invitation. He knows what’s good for your soul, and in Christ alone, there is rest that cannot be found anywhere else. What’s easier than that?

Prayer:
Gentle Savior, thank you for hearing and answering my prayers. Amen.

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.”
Matthew 11:25,26

Childlike Faith

If you were to die and stand before God, and he were to ask you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” how would you answer him?

That is an important question, and over the millennia, humanity’s best and brightest have come up with many different answers. According to the Bible, however, there is only one correct answer: “Because Jesus lived a perfect life for me, died on the cross for me, and rose from the dead for me.”

The Bible calls that answer the gospel, which is the exact opposite of what the wise and learned expect it to be. They expect an answer that puts them at an advantage, one that gets them into heaven by their own intellectual endeavors, religious effort, or good works—anything but total reliance on Jesus as their Savior.

That’s why Jesus says the gospel is hidden from the wise and learned. It’s not that God makes it obscure. It’s just that they are too self-focused to see what God wants to reveal to them.

The fact of the matter is that no one can come up with the correct answer on their own. The gospel does not involve arrogantly assuming that you can enter heaven under your own power. Rather, it involves humbly recognizing that you can’t.

You don’t need to be wise and learned; you need to be like a child. Children know how to trust because they are dependent on their parents. So when you say to a Christian child, “Jesus loves me this I know,” they reply, “For the Bible tells me so.” That is childlike faith that trusts completely.

Praise God that adults can be spiritual children, believers who simply trust that Jesus has already done it all.

Prayer:
Father, give me faith that trusts your Son and his gospel completely. Amen.

When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Matthew 14:34-36

Our Savior

Imagine the group of people that came from near and far for the chance to be healed by Jesus. Some hobbling, some bent over in pain, and some even carried. For every one of them, Jesus loved and used his almighty power to heal them. The touching of his cloak was not the key to their healing. This was just the way that the Lord chose to accomplish these miracles. It was all by the will and the ability of Jesus that these people were made whole and healthy.

These things are recorded for us in the Bible to convince us that Jesus is the Son of God. He stands alone as a unique individual in all of history. Jesus is truly a man and also God. He is human and divine in one person. For our salvation from sin and death, it was necessary for us to have a Savior who is both man and God. It was necessary for Jesus to be both true man and true God in one person so that he could live perfectly under God’s holy will for all of us. It was necessary for Jesus to be both true man and true God in one person to take our curse of sin on himself and free us from eternal damnation by his innocent death for us.

Jesus is the world’s Savior. There are no others qualified. The miracles that Jesus did “are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

Prayer:
Thank you, Jesus, for demonstrating your power so that I can know you are the one, true God. Thank you for becoming a human being so that you could save me from my sins and win eternal life. May all I do this day bring you praise. Amen.

[Jesus said] “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
Matthew 10:39

Find Yourself

Do you know someone who was on a conventional path in life but then departed for something completely different? Maybe you tried to describe them to someone else by saying that they were “taking some time to find themselves.”

The expression refers to looking for a purpose in life that makes sense to you. You aren’t feeling it on a conventional path, so you look for a vibe that resonates with you. When you take time to find yourself, you are looking for something that makes you feel satisfied.

Jesus warns against finding yourself without him. Without Jesus as your Savior, it doesn’t matter how good you feel or how sweet the scene looks. All satisfactions are temporary, and eventually, you will lose the life you thought you found.

But when you lose a selfish life and find Jesus, you will be amazed to find a full and satisfying life that has been there for you all along. Your identity will be clear as a dear child of the only true God. Your future, eternal life in heaven, will be secure. There will be reasons for things you like, for the things that resonate with you, and in discovering those reasons, you will discover why God placed you where you are right now in life.

It might seem cryptic, even mysterious, but it makes sense in view of Jesus. Whoever loses their life for his sake will find it.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, my heart is restless until I find my rest in you. Amen.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith.
1 Timothy 6:11,12

Free to Serve

Citizens of the United States celebrate the Fourth of July as the day the founders of the country made it clear they were willing to fight for their freedom. A close reading of history shows that those founders disagreed on which freedoms and how to fight for them.

We don’t have to disagree on what it means for Christians to fight the good fight of faith. The Bible is clear. It encourages Christians to flee from the love of money and to pursue things like righteousness and godliness instead. In our Christian freedom, we demonstrate persistent love for the people around us, confident that God will continue to bless us with forgiveness. With a stable government, Christians have the blessing to fight the good fight of faith with gentleness.

In a country with freedom of religion, Christians have gone beyond individual works of kindness and pooled their resources to help their whole communities in the areas of medical care, community support, and a social safety net. The Christian emphasis on helping women and children, widows, and orphans, continues to influence every country where the gospel is proclaimed to the joy and edifying of Christ’s holy people.

Even more important than these physical blessings is the message Christians have been privileged to proclaim. It is the message of full and free forgiveness found only in the saving work of Jesus. It is the message of freedom from the punishment our sins deserve and freedom to love and serve others to thank God for sending his Son to save us.

On this Fourth of July, thank the Lord for his blessings, large and small. Look for ways to serve others, especially with the good news about Jesus. Keep up the good work.

Prayer:
Almighty God, help me use the freedom you have won to serve the people you have brought into my life . Amen.

[Jesus said] “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Matthew 10:37-39

A Loving Relationship With God

Jesus wants us to be happy. He wants us to experience the greatness of his love and a life with God that gives us happiness that comes only through a relationship with him. That’s why he teaches that a loving relationship with him is more important than any other loving relationship we have with others.

It’s not always easy, though, to love Jesus more than any others. It is not easy to be a Christian when we are put down, disregarded, or rejected because of our faith.

It’s tempting to try and walk an easier path than the one that follows Jesus. But before we go down that way, listen to what Jesus says: “Whoever finds his life will lose it.” If our lives are driven to find satisfaction only in the people and things around us, then we will lose our connection with Jesus. And what a great loss that would be!

Jesus loves us dearly and wants the very best for us. By the connection we have with Jesus through faith, we find life—a life filled with his peace, his presence, his promise. We live with the assurance that our sins are forgiven, that Jesus is always with us, and that we can count on his sure promise to take us to be with him in heaven.

That’s the happiness that Jesus wants us to have and is worth everything to follow him faithfully all the days of our lives.

Prayer:
Jesus, help me see you more clearly, follow you more nearly, and love you more dearly. Amen.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:7,8

The Crown of Righteousness

When you think of the great Olympic athletes of our age, maybe you picture Michael Phelps’ dominance in the pool. Or perhaps you imagine the picture of the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt smiling for the finish line camera as he finished meters ahead of his closest competitor. Olympic winners today receive a gold model, but in the Greco-Roman world of the apostle Paul’s day, they won a crown of olive leaves or laurels.

And one of the most famous Olympians of that era lived about a hundred years before Paul. His name was Leonidas of Rhodes. Evidence suggests that Leonidas was a twelve-time Olympic champion, the greatest runner of the ancient world. In his home city of Rhodes, he had his own statue with the words “He had the speed of a god” inscribed on it.

As Paul neared the end of his life, he used a couple of Olympic metaphors. He had fought the good fight drawing to mind the picture of a boxer lasting all the rounds in the ring. He had finished the race comparing himself to a runner. And what was in store for him? The crown of righteousness. Ancient Olympic crowns of leaves would spoil and fade, but not this crown of righteousness.

Leonidas of Rhodes may have been described as having the speed of a god, but Paul had the righteousness of the one true God. God credited that righteousness to Paul not because of anything he had done but because of the faith Paul had kept in Jesus as his Savior from sin.

Paul already had that righteousness, but when he died, he would be crowned in it, no longer weighed down by his sin but made perfect in Jesus. This crown of righteousness is for all who believe in Jesus as their Savior from sin.

Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for giving me your righteousness through the merits of Jesus Christ. Help me to run the race with my eyes fixed on you as I keep my faith in Jesus. Amen.

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
2 Timothy 4:3,4

Give Me Sound Doctrine

Around the year 1900, a man named Clark Stanley captivated audiences. A small stage was built in the town square, and Stanley created a spectacle. His sensationalist show involved using rattlesnakes to create a healing ointment. Stanley claimed his special Snake Oil Liniment was a quick and miraculous cure-all.

People ate it up. The spectacle, combined with the promise of a quick and easy remedy, proved too much to resist. People wanted what Stanley was selling. Even the term “snake oil” appealed to popular imagination since it was associated with exotic and mysterious healing substances.

Clark Stanley called himself the Rattlesnake King, but that’s not how he is remembered. Stanley is the original snake oil salesman known for selling fraudulent and ineffective products. His ointment was found to have very little, if any, snake oil and was primarily mineral oil. It couldn’t cure anything.

But people jeopardized their health and wasted their money because it looked and sounded so good. In the same way, we are tempted to jeopardize our spiritual health when we turn to teachings that look and sound good to us. These teachings might appeal to our desire for physical blessings or our need to make ourselves look good compared to others. Maybe some sort of secret and mysterious teaching makes us feel special.

Whatever it might be, if it turns us away from the truth of sound doctrine, then it is dangerous to our souls. Here is the sound doctrine that we need to hear again and again. I am a sinner for whom Jesus died. My relationship with God is repaired through Jesus, and I can do nothing to acquire this grace apart from receiving it freely as a gift from Jesus.

This is the sound doctrine to which we hold. May God keep it before us all the days of our lives.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, forgive me the times I’ve tried itching my ears with anything other than your truth. Keep me in your truth. Amen.

[Jesus said] “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Matthew 10:21,22

Keep Us Steadfast

On June 25, 1530, Lutheran reformers presented the Augsburg Confession to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. This confession was a bold declaration of Lutheran beliefs in the face of opposition and persecution. The Lutherans who signed it knew they would face severe consequences for their confession of faith, yet they chose to stand firm in their convictions.

Just as Jesus warned his disciples that family members would betray one another, the Lutheran reformers experienced firsthand the painful reality of division within families. Many faced rejection, disapproval, and even abandonment from their loved ones because of their commitment to the gospel. Despite these hardships, they remained steadfast, holding to the truth they found in the Bible.

The Lutheran reformers teach us the importance of standing firm in our beliefs, even when it comes at a cost. Our loyalty to Christ needs to surpass any earthly ties, even familial bonds. This does not mean we disregard or disrespect our families, but rather that we prioritize our allegiance to Christ above all else.

Just as the Lutheran reformers faced persecution for their faith, we may encounter similar challenges. Our commitment to Christ may result in tension or even separation within our families. However, we can find strength and encouragement in knowing that we are not alone. The same God who sustained the reformers is with us today, guiding us and granting us the endurance we need.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for the example of endurance displayed by the Lutheran reformers and their commitment to the gospel. Help me to remain steadfast in my faith, even in the face of opposition or betrayal. Grant me the strength to prioritize our allegiance to you above all else and to endure in my journey with you. Amen.