The Parables of Jesus: Mark 13:33
33He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."
Yeast is a small thing, yet when added to a batch of dough, it makes a BIG impact! A little bit of yeast can change how bread looks and tastes, and the Bible does the same thing for us. The more we're around God, the Bible, and the people in His Kingdom, the more your life starts to reflect Him. You begin to change, sometimes without making an effort and sometimes it needs to be kneaded in there a little bit, but it happens just the same. Spend sometime today with God and His people and watch how you begin to change.
-Jeff-
The Parables of Jesus: Mark 4: 30-32
30Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."
The very first church ever started out with Jesus and 12 other guys. When Jesus made this statement, he was looking at the group that was going to turn the world upside down one day, but right then they were 12. And that's the way God's Kingdom on Earth started. Yet now those 12 guys have multiplied themselves by a billion. The Bible says that we shouldn't despise small beginnings. I know you have certain goals and dreams that you want to accomplish, but sometimes it's easy to look around you and wonder how you are ever going to get there. Step by step, day by day and eventually you're going to grow, as long as you're doing everything you can do to get there right now.
-Jeff-
The Parables of Jesus: Matthew 13: 24-30
24Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
28" 'An enemy did this,' he replied.
"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
29" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "
Our life is a garden. We have to work hard to make sure we're sowing good seeds in our lives. A funny thing happens though, as we move through life. At times, we tend to let our guard down a little, and at that point the enemy can sneak in and plant some bad thoughts or ideas in our heads. When that happens we have a choice to make, we can give up and quit, or we can push through. At some point God will have to deal with the bad things in our lives, and that can hurt, but in the long run we're better off.
-Jeff-
The Parables of Jesus: Matthew 9:16-17
16"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
God has created us with a purpose. Jeremiah 29:11 talks about the plans that God has for us. But what happens when we let that purpose slip away? How do we get back to the things God has called us to do? In this passage, we are the wineskin and the wine is the anointing of God. If we allow God to re-create us, to turn us into something different, then He will pour out His power on us. But if we refuse to do things God's way, He will find another wineskin to fill.
-Jeff-
