Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: For the man who uses well what he is given shall be given more and he shall have abundance. But from the man who is unfaithful, even what little responsibility he has shall be taken from him. (Matthew 25:29 - from the Parable of the Talents; Living Bible) See also Luke 19:11-26.

Use it or lose it! That credo certainly applies to the servant who hid his money rather than use it profitably in this parable. We would do well to understand the meaning of this parable lest we fall into the errant way of those who shirk responsibility and suffer the same fate as the unfaithful servant.
The master, or ruler, in the parable wasn’t just giving the servants money to have and to hold until his return. Each of the three men was given a responsibility in accordance with his ability. Two of the men understood that they were to invest the money, and had double the initial amount when the master returned. They were praised for their good work, and rewarded with both greater responsibility and an invitation to ‘enter into the joy of your lord.’ (vs. 21)
Do not be distracted by the use of money as an example in the parable. They were given an opportunity to work for the master. They were simply to carry on some work that the master would have done, had he been there. The faithful servants have taken what they were given and gained double for the kingdom!
Note also that it is not the size of the task that matters, nor rank or standing. Rather, each was given opportunity in accordance with their perceived likelihood of successfully completing the assignment. Two of them fulfilled their master’s trust. The third had the same opportunity, but failed.
Keep in mind that Jesus is showing us something very important about the kingdom of heaven. In fact, Psalm 16:11 states:
“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (NKJV)
I think that Jesus is trying to show us the “path of life” in this parable. We all have been given opportunities to become one of the “laborers sent into His harvest.” (Mt. 9:37-38) The ‘harvest’ is the vast number of the unsaved in the world, people who have either not heard the Good News of Jesus, or have been distracted by the pleasures of the World and its prince, Satan.
Unfortunately, many who are given the opportunity to labor for Christ emmulate the unfaithful servant; they ‘hide’ the opportunity that they have been given, and gain nothing for the kingdom. That unfaithful servant will be denied the invitation to enter the joy of the Lord. The future does not hold joy for those who do not make the most of their given opportunity.
Read it again: “For the man who uses well what he is given shall be given more and he shall have abundance. But from the man who is unfaithful, even what little responsibility he has shall be taken from him.” Substitute the word “opportunity” for responsibility in this passage, and you will gain a better sense of the importance of using what you have been given.
Don’t ignore the little things. A prayer, a kind word, a smile for those who most need it might fill a need in their life. Something as simple as passing on a Bible tract may be your opportunity, your ‘assignment’ from the Master for the day.
Each step we take in the direction of the kingdom of heaven takes us closer to sharing forever in the joy of the Lord.
Any other step, including no steps at all - well, you think about it.
April 1, 2007

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Jesus said, "I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work."
(John 9: 4 NKJV)

Most people are probably familiar with the word 'buckwheat' only when followed by the word 'pancakes.' Buckwheat flour comes from the seeds of a plant (scientifically known as Fagopyrum of the family Polygonaceae) classified as an herb. (1) It has some attributes that gave me something to think about.
Buckwheat is purported to be a soil conditioner, valuable for improving the fertility and friability of poor soils. Honeybees turn the nectar from the blooms into a dark, pungent honey, cherished by some people. A warm weather plant, it is often planted following the harvest of an earlier maturing crop, such as wheat. Enough reasons, I thought, to try growing some.
Buckwheat is not at all like the 'wheat' in its name. It is not a grass, nor a legume, like many other farm-grown plants. The early leaves somewhat resemble those of a bean, the blossoms are similar, but buckwheat 'marches to its own drummer,' so to speak.
I had always heard about the way honeybees 'work' the blossoms of the buckwheat. When my little patch began blooming, I religiously checked every day when I got home from work. Not a bee - nary a one - did I see. Not until the weekend, when a Saturday morning observation revealed a buckwheat patch that literally echoed with busy, buzzing bees. Then, about noon, dead silence!
I went back and re-read the section about buckwheat in my beekeeper's book. Aha! The plant ceases to produce nectar about midday.
Analogy: So what if you have read the Bible; go back and read it again. And again.
And . . .
Analogy: Keep an open mind about people, things, and especially God's Way. Expect the unexpected, something new, something out of the ordinary.
I found another unique characteristic about the buckwheat plant: the seeds do not develop or ripen all at the same time, like many other plants. It continues to bloom and develop seeds throughout its growing season, right up until the autumn killing frosts.
Analogy: If you want to emulate a plant, choose the buckwheat. Hey! - keep on growing, keep on blooming right up until the final 'frost' and harvest. I've seen too many people that are like corn, wheat, or beans: they 'ripen' early, go to 'seed' and then just sit there, waiting for the harvest - (the grim reaper?)
Analogy: Buckwheat has the ability to improve poor soils. May you possess the ability to improve poor souls.
Oh! Think about that schedule the buckwheat plant keeps. Sure, keep the place buzzing part of the day, but cut back and enjoy the sunshine some too!
Be fruitful: Nectar for the bees, flour (and honey) for the famished, and enough seed to keep the kingdom growing. That's buckwheat!

(1) It has "alternate leaves, clusters of apetalous pinkish white flowers, and triangular seeds."
February 25, 2007

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Paul wrote: "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." I Corinthians 13:12, NIV

It was one of those "Aha!" moments. I happened to glance up and note my reflection in the window, mirroring my every move as I sat eating my breakfast on a dark, wintery morning. I thought, "What a perfect example of Paul's allegory of "Seeing through a glass darkly" in the 'Love Chapter' of his letter to the Corinthians." (Chapter 13, King James version.)
I knew what lay outside, on the other side of the window, but I could see nothing, because the contrast between my lighted table and the night outside transformed the window glass into a mirror, albeit an imperfect one.
So that's what Paul was talking about! We are unable to see the heavenly kingdom from the light of this life, seeing only an imperfect image of ourselves, because of the contrast of what is, and what is to be.
If I sit long enough, watch and wait long enough, the dawning will come. First, I will start to see a glimmer of red, presaging the advent of the dawn. I will begin to note the outlines of the trees in the woods, ghostly shapes only, backlit by the rising sun.
Soon, the image of the garage will take shape, although just a dark, blank area at first. Soon, I know, my image in the glass will fade, and the scene of God's great kingdom will fill my view in all its radiant splendor.
It was there all along; there was just such a contrast between the two worlds that the larger, more permanent one, was invisible.
By the time I sat down for my noon meal, the once hidden had been made plain. I could readily see the roughness of the bark on the trees, the branches moving slightly in the breeze. Squirrels use it for both a home and a gym, scurrying about, seeking their own lunch. Birds visit the feeders, placed there for the purpose of both providing them with food and us humans with visual enjoyment. Now the mirror effect is reversed; we can watch them, while they can not see us.
There is a vital, everlasting truth here. When we see ourselves only, though as in a glass, darkly, we focus on the image that we do see, not on the image of the world on the other side. Even though we leave the table and the window, in essence, we continue to focus on "our" world, and not God's world.
Sometimes we need reminders of what lies on the "other side." Regular times for meditation, for worship, Bible reading, and contemplation, bring us back for the 'meal' at the 'window,' to reveal God in all of His Glory.
January 7, 2007

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Ruts
* Scripture: Both Jesus and John the Baptist said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 3:2 and 4:17, NKJV

I've been in a rut. A really big rut. Really! Actually, it was twin ruts that must have been cut by many passages of large trucks through boggy, soggy clay.
Guests of gracious hosts, my son and I were enjoying the summer day at their weekend house in the country outside of a large city. The location was definitely 'off road' with only the rutted track serving as access. About the time we were settling down to a delicious meal that included shis-ka-bob prepared on a spit in the fireplace, a rouge storm blew in, drenching the day with pelting rain.
We were inside and dry, but became concerned about our chances of making it back to a real road to return to the city. So we packed everything into their little foreign-built car, and headed out.
Although there was room to travel alongside the ruts, our driver chose to straddle one rut, with the other wheels on the narrow strip between the trenches. Alas, the sun hardened clay that we came over earlier was now rain slickened. The elements of gravity and ooze took control. Not just one, but all wheels now followed the ruts, not touching the bottom, however. We were hung up on the underpinnings of the car. Might as well have been jacked up on a maintenance lift!
How ya gonna go when the wheels aren't touching anything? A wrecker or tractor was out of the question. It took quite a bit of work, and numerous pieces of lumber and fence posts, but we made it out.
We would be fortunate indeed if the only kind of rut we encountered in life was a track worn by a wheel or by habitual passage; a physical channel or furrow!
Sometimes it is even more difficult to get out of a usual or fixed practice in our lives, especially a monotonous routine. The kind of a rut that has been sometimes described as a grave with open ends.
I have often heard that repentance means turning about, going the other way. Think about this: what if the 180 degree turnabout just leaves you in the same old rut, only going the other way? In our case, we actually turned that car sideways to the tracks, filled in the ruts, and drove off.
One local church posted this advice on their sign: 'How to Get to Heaven: Turn right. Go Straight!'
Straddling the ruts of life is not always the best option, nor even a turnabout that leaves you in the same ruts.
Sometimes we need to do a right turn, and leave the old ruts totally behind.
January 29, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Heaven
* Scripture: Jesus said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20, NKJV, NIV

The Sunday School teacher asked her students to raise their hands if they wanted to go to heaven. Instantly, enthusiastic hands shot up and were waving all over the class - all except one boy who was sitting on his hands.
“Don’t you want to go to heaven when you die?,” she asked.
“Oh! When I die, sure,” he replied. “I thought you were getting up a trip right now.”
I think most of us are like that. We want to go to heaven - someday, but not right now.
However, in the words of an old spiritual song;
“Everybody talkin’ ‘bout Heaven ain’t goin’ there.”
Jesus Himself affirms this, saying, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Mt. 6:21, NKJV)
Jesus speaks often of heaven, including the model prayer, which begins,
“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt. 5:9-10, NKJV)
Heaven - the place of everlasting bliss - might more properly be called “paradise” to distinguish the abode of God, Christ, The Holy Spirit, Angels and The Just from the firmament (heavens) containing the sun, moon, stars, planets, and other heavenly objects. Hebrews 1:11 and 2 Peter 3:10
note that the heavens (firmament) will pass away, but the abode of God will endure for eternity. God created the heavens and earth to declare His Glory, Righteousness, and Wisdom. (Ps. 19:1; Ps. 50:6; Prov. 8:27)
The redeemed can look forward to Joy, Rest, Peace, Righteousness, Service, Reward, Inheritance, Glory, and the Authority of God’s Word. (Luke 15:7, 10; Rev. 14:3; Luke 16:19-25; 2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 7:15; Matt. 5:11, 12; 1 Peter 1:4; Romans 8:17, 18; Ps. 119:89)
Some things are indeed lacking in Paradise. You won’t find Marriage, Death, Flesh and blood, Perishable things, Sorrow, Pain, The Curse, Night, Weeping, and Wicked people, End. (Matt. 22:30; Luke 20:36; 1 Cor. 15:50; 1 Cor. 15:42, 50; Rev. 7:17; Rev. 22:3; Rev. 22:5; Isaiah. 65:19; Rev. 22:15; Matt. 25:46, Rev. 22:5)
The alternative to ‘Paradise’ is not a nice place, described as a place of eternal torment, everlasting fire, punishment, destruction, of Outer Darkness and a Lake of Fire. (See Matt. 25:41, 46; 8:12; 2 Thess1:9 and Rev. 19:20)
So - you need to be certain your name is recorded in heaven. (Luke 10:20) You must be saved, born again, of water and the Spirit. (John 3:3-6, 3:16, 5:24; Acts 16:31)
That’s a lot to read, I know. (I also know many won’t take the time!) Well, add one chapter more, from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15. There will come a day when you will be glad you did, and you, too, can exclaim, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? (1 Cor. 15:55)
June 19, 2005

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Transfer Knowledge
* Scripture: Jesus said, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that ‘seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.’” Mark 4:11-12, NKJV

I have acquired a variety of different stringed musical instruments since I first learned to play a ukulele, years and years ago. My collection includes instruments like the mountain (lap) dulcimer, which is easy to play, even for a beginner, to the guitar and violin, which require a lot of work and practice to achieve proficiency. .
. Each instrument is slightly different when it comes down to playing well, yet all have many principles in common. They all have strings, of course, tuned so as to produce a certain pitch note on the musical scale. The number of strings and tunings vary, as well as the size and layout of the fingerboard. Many instruments have metal frets to mark the note locations; the violin family does not. But a tuned string is a tuned string, and simple tunes can be played on any instrument, once you are familiar with the musical scale.
It seems to amaze people that I can pick up any of my instruments and play an easy tune like “Mary Had A Little Lamb.”
The reason that I can do that is not because I am super talented, but because I use what I know about one instrument and apply that knowledge to another.
That is the principle of the parable, the teaching story that Jesus used well to illustrate the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus often began with an earthly topic or subject with which the listeners were familiar, such as a lamp, a shepherd, or a fruit tree, and applied that knowledge to heavenly things. Those who were willing to make the comparison between earthly things and heavenly truths gained a greater understanding of God’s kingdom. Some, however, were either not willing nor able to make that ‘leap’ of understanding, that transfer of knowledge, that would bring them inside to God’s truths.
I sometimes show a person how easy it is to play “Mary Had A Little Lamb” on one of my instruments, and offer them the instrument, only to have them react as if I had handed them a live snake! They have no desire to even try. Strange - the shunning of knowledge!
Perhaps Jesus was experiencing this same phenomena. Some people just don’t want to think about making any changes in their lifestyle, whether it is a health issue in this world, or spiritual truths about God’s kingdom in the eternity to come.
Sad. So many left ‘outside’ because they see, but do not perceive, and hear but do not understand - and have no desire to change.
March 27, 2005

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Daniel said, “God has numbered the days of your reign, and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. “Daniel 5:26,27, NIV

One of the great axioms that I have heard quoted often in relation to business and real estate is “Location, location, location!” Picking a spot that sits along a well-traveled road or river makes a big difference in the number of customers a business can attract, or the size to which a city can grow.
Throughout history, access to transportation made large cities possible. The Babylonian Empire was built along the Euphrates, one of the major water thoroughfares of the ancient world, and still an important river today. Babylon, counted as one of the wonders of the ancient world, straddled the Euphrates River, with canals linking various areas of the city. The city is described as having broad streets, intersecting at right angles, often crossing the canals by bridges. The main area of the city was full of temples, palaces, and government structures. Numerous businesses lined the quay, or dock, along the waterfront. Palaces, including the famous Hanging Gardens built by King Nebuchadnezzar, were located on Procession Street. One of the temples, called a ziggurat, was a large tower dedicated to the gods of Babylon. The ruins of this temple still exist in modern-day Iraq.
Like most cities of that time, Babylon was surrounded by walls for protection from invaders. Its rulers felt that the city was impregnable from attack. They had a stockpile of provisions sufficient to last many years, and could live in comfort confident that Babylon could not be taken. Babylon was the most important city in the world at that time. Twenty-three years after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar, Nabonidus and his son, Belshazzar, faced an attempt by the Mede and Persian armies to conquer Babylon. Safe and confident within their walls, they looked out in amazement as King Cyrus’ soldiers spent their time digging a deep trench around the city.
According to the Book of Daniel
(Ch. 5) King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. Wanting to show off, he had the silver goblets taken from the Jewish temple brought out, and used them to praise “the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone” - idols!
Suddenly, a mysterious hand wrote on the wall, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.
God enabled Daniel to interpreted it thus: “God has numbered the days of your reign, and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Outside the city, the armies routed the mighty Euphrates into the ditch they had been digging, and walked into Babylon through the now empty river bed. The river that had brought them prosperity and greatness now brought their destruction.
October 27, 2002