Parable of the sower

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Matthew 13:18-23


Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Matthew 13:9-13

I will shake the heaven, earth and sea

Haggai 2:6-7 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

Hebrews 12:26-28 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

The last time God’s voice shook the earth was in Exodus 19. That happened in Mount Sinai when God spoke to Moses, the mountain quaked, the Israelites were terrified and they trembled. The bible says yet once more, God will shook the earth again, this time He will shake not just mount Sinai but the nations, and the sea and the heaven. The thought of God shaking the sea brings to my mind the tsunamis that happened in the Indian Ocean near Indonesia on Dec 26th,2004, according to recent data compiled by the United Nations , a total of 229,866 people were lost, including 186,983 dead and 42,883 missing.
What could shake all the earth and all nations? Could it be a great global earthquake? And we have yet to witness the shaking of the heaven. I believe the effect of this global shaking is sudden, unexpected destruction, like many who were caught by surprise in the tsunamis. Haggai 2:6-7 further says this shaking of the earth, heaven and the sea will be followed by the desire of all nations coming, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Hebrew 12;26-28 the Word says this shaking will remove things that are shaken, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. All the world’s systems and institutions that is against God will one day be shaken and destroyed. As of things that are made, they are temporary, perishable and have an expiry date. Some spend time investing in stocks, for some it is entertainment, for some it is their car, these things itself may not be sinful, but you see all these things are not lasting. The bible says in Matthew 6:21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Where and what we spend our time and effort reveals where our heart is, how do we spend our free time is a gauge of where our heart is. In life it is not how fast and beautiful you build your house, it is whether your house is built on the right foundation?

The Word is teaching us to invest in things that cannot be shaken, doing the will of God have lasting values and is a sure foundation.

Matthew 7:24-27 "Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn't fall, for it was founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine, and doesn't do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."

Hebrew 12:28 exhorts us: Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear

Knowing God

Our Lord, in defining eternal life, summed up the supreme goal of human existence: That they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. And Paul revealed the one overpowering interest of his life when he wrote That I may know him. The business of the Church is God. She is purest when most engaged with God and she is astray just so far as she follows other interests, no matter how religious or humanitarian they may be. There are a thousand useful, even noble, pursuits in which the Church may engage and which may bring her the plaudits of the world but which are nevertheless unworthy of her utter devotion. Such are social activities for their own sake, philosophical pursuits divorced from Him in whom all wisdom and knowledge is hidden away, art, music, education, travel, to name a mere few. As these things come to the Christian in his pursuit of God they may have a proper and useful place in his life; but when they are chosen as ends to be followed they are and can only be cheap substitutes for the glory that excelleth.

By A.W Tozer