August 11, 2010 Sowing Seeds 3

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some seed fell among thorns which grew up with it and choked the plants."

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, it is Salvation Wednesday, the day we pray for the lost and also those of us who are saved that we get to work finding and bringing in the lost to the feet of Jesus. Also today please pray for traveling protecting for Charles and Janet Wotring, Pamela Bower, and Dan Saylor and his family. All will be on the road today.

Also an update on my dear wife Dolores. I have never seen anyone in such great pain, and she is a real trooper. Tomorrow afternoon we are going to a back doctor to see what should be done for this broken pelvis. Yesterday we were at the Bridges for our sing-a-long and it was the first time she gave in to the wheelchair to get into the building. However, once on that piano bench she did great.

Also today at 11:30 we are feeding the township (Silver Spring Pa) workers. I try and do this once a year to show our appreciation for their hard work. Please pray for the event.

Sowing Seeds 3: Luke 8:5 - "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, 7 some seed fell among thorns which grew up with it and choked the plants." 11 "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stand for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature." (NIV)

When I think about the seeds that fall in the thorns, I can look at our son Matthew on this one. Matthew has struggled with drugs and booze over the years and right now is doing really good, PRAISE THE LORD, and living at Sonshine Ministries in Perry County Pa. If Matthew stays with this he will do good, but if he comes out before he is really strong I think he will be caught up in the thorns. Let me tell you what I mean. Matthew truly loves the Lord and has for a long time, but all so often he tries to take the word of God where he is not strong enough to take it, and sometimes he tries to take it there alone. You cannot go back to the friends you partied with and try and bring them out and do it by yourself for they will grab you and pull you back in. It is noble that people want to do it, and they should, but they need to team up with their church and/or others who are born again to take along and help. If you have ever walked through the woods and fields you might remember how when you came out you had all this junk hanging on you and sometimes veins would grab you and drop you to the ground. Think of booze and drugs as those veins and thorns and when someone who is "on the wagon" goes in those places to try their best to share the word, that junk will pull them down.

Of course when we find the Lord and we do not fully trust in Him we also find we get pulled in. We let the past be cast against us and when what we really need to do is when someone casts up our past, we need to tell them point blank to take a hike for you are saved, you are different and you are now walking with God. All of us have a past, all of us have something in life they do not want on the front page or even on the back page of the paper. When we give it to God it is gone, don't let others get to you.

Tomorrow and Friday we are going to be talking about getting rooted in with Jesus, planting our seeds of life in solid ground and then feeding it and watering it with the love of Jesus. For three day we have discussed how we fail, now we are going to discuss how we win, and brothers and sisters, when we are with Jesus WE WIN, WE WIN, WE WIN, WE WIN, WE WIN... I read the back of the book, and yes, WE WIN, WE WIN, WE WIN... Lets pray.

Dear Father in Heaven, today we give thanks that we are saved and ask that You use us to seek out and find the lost and, remembering that we cannot save them, bring them into You. Protect us as we work for You for others will surely be trying to take us down or sometimes, Lord, take us out. Lord, be with those traveling, Pam, the Wortings, and the Saylors. And Lord, in the name of Jesus I call on You to heal my wife Dolores. Lord, also heal those with cancer, and Lord, be with Eleanor Saylor as she has some heart tests done... In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Now one short story about winning... a very old man was standing at a Pepsi Machine and he had about ten cans lined up at his feet. He was sticking in more coins when his daughter came and said, come on dad, let's go. He looked at her and said, not now, I have a winning streak going...
Folks, if we go with Jesus our winning streak will go on and on and on, for you just cannot lose when you travel with the King. And when you learn to share your blessings daily it gets even better, so get sharing. Love ya, Pastor Dan.