Re:Verse passage – Mark 4:1-20 (day two) In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. v. 16-17
Did you make New Years resolutions? How’s that working for you? Sorry, too soon? There is something about turning that calendar over that makes us re-think priorities, and to try and get a handle on areas of our life that we have either neglected or that have gone off the tracks. This is a good and cathartic practice, so why do they so often fail? Everything is well and good in theory, but we rarely weigh how entrenched we have become in our routines and patterns of life. To alter any area can take a seismic shift in our focus. Not impossible, but often more challenging to execute than anticipated. This is the kind of reaction Jesus warned against in this parable. We can see the benefits of fully trusting and following, but we have not counted the cost. It will take a seismic shift in our hearts that can only come from the intervention of the Holy Spirit. Don’t be discouraged, the Lord is in the soul tectonic shifting business. Trust him to plant those seeds in good soil, and let him work in your routines.
