“And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger” (Luke 15:17).

I often wonder about this young man as he asked his father for his inheritance went off “into a far country” and lived and acted in whatever manner he chose. My friend God will extend us the same grace if we CHOOSE not to live as His child, and many times we act in the same manner as Christians. However, I love the statement in this passage “he came to himself.” This young man had his own ideas, own way of thinking, desires, and his father extended the rope. This young man thought the grass was greener on the other side; however, “and he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him” (v.16). This young man started thinking about his father’s house, about his father’s love, about his father’s directions, about his father’s instructions, and he knew he had made the wrong decision. Sometimes we do not know we are thinking wrong, acting wrong, or making a wrong decision until God allows us to find ourselves in a place we do not desire to be. “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (v.20). Father, we thank you this morning for your grace and mercy! That when we think we know better, you allow us to discover that there is no place like home. We pray this morning for that one person searching for something; I pray they are filled with the Holy Spirit of God, and He will satisfy their soul. Be Blessed in Jesus’ Name!

“For every tree is known by his OWN fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bush gather they grapes” (Luke 6:44).

The exterior fruit of our life will reveal what is growing on the interior. An apple tree is identified as an apple tree because it bears apples. Also, a Christian is known by the fruit we bear, such as “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22,23). As we examine our “OWN” fruit, are we bearing the fruit of the Spirit? No one is perfect; however, if the Spirit of God dwells within our hearts, we will see the fruit of the Spirit. “A good man out of the good treasures of his heart bringeth forth that which is good, and an evil man out of the evil treasures of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh” (v.45). The best way to know what is in the heart of a man/woman is when they open their mouth and speak. We have blueberry and blackberry bushes in our yard, and if they do not receive proper treatment such as fertilizer, water, and trimming, they will struggle to bear fruit. My friend, we are the same as we are to bear the fruit of the Spirit; we must receive our proper nourishment as well. We must spend time with God, we must yield to the Spirit of God, we must fertilize our soul with God’s Word. My friend, this world will cause our fruit to dry up. Examine what is coming from our mouths as Christians, and according to this passage, we will know how fruitful we are. Father, I pray this morning for our readers that we would yield our members to the Spirit of God that we may bear fruit for the Kingdom. Be Blessed in Jesus’ Name!

“A Sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it” (Luke 8:5).

I want to encourage you to turn in your Bibles this morning and read this parable in its totality; the parable is well-known for the sower, the seed, and the soil. The Sower is the Lord Jesus Christ, and those whom He has called the spread the seed (the Word of God), and the soil is the heart of man, woman, boy, and girl. There is a warning in this passage of us carelessly hearing the Word of God; when we do not fully receive God’s Word (seed). The problem in this parable is not with the seed; the problem is with the soil. There is a domestic factor in the roadside soil. “Those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (v.12). Think of the distractions during the preached Word of God; think of the movement during the invitation after God’s preached Word. Think about how satan is working to discredit those who are sowing the Word of God in Jesus’ name. satan is doing all he can to distract folks from the seed that is being sown. satan is busy snatching away the seed, discrediting the seed’s authority and fruitfulness in our lives. My friend, our job is to continue to sow the seed and continue to soften hearts with the Word of God. Keep plowing the fields, keep preparing the soil. Paul said, ” I may plant, and Apollos may water, but God will give the increase.” Understand this morning that the farmer does not just show up to their fields and start sowing seed; he prepares the soil. Father, I pray this morning that we would prepare our hearts (soil) to receive the Word (seed). Be Blessed in Jesus’ Name!