SOWERS OF THE WORD is a place where you can come to and recieve an inspirational devotional reading of The Word of God, along with commentaries of The Scriptures to increase your understanding and grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God's Word. This ministry is founded on the parable of The Sower in the Gospel of (Matthew 13: 1-23). God bless you all as you go forth bearing the precious seed of The Word of God.
JESUS IS LORD.
"Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:14-15). [THE NKJV STUDY BIBLE]. 24:14, 15- Joshua's words in these verses contain a rare appeal to Israel to choose between God and the many false substitutes. If Israel would not choose to serve the Lord, they would have to choose between the gods that their ancestors worshiped and the gods of the Amorites (that is, the Canaanites). Of course, the appeal is rhetorical; from God's perspective there is only one option. With his famous words, Joshua clearly and unambiguously took his stand on the side of the living God. Joshua modeled a perfect leader's actions. A leader must be willing to move ahead and commit himself to the truth regardless of the people's inclinations. Joshua's bold example undoubtedly encouraged many to follow with the affirmations of vv. 16-18. [THE NKJV STUDY BIBLE].
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (Read: Luke 2:8-14).
The doxology "Glory to God in the highest" is the climax of the story. Its two parts relate to heaven and to earth respectively. In Luke's account of the Triumphal Entry, the crowds say, "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest" (19:38). Verse 14b is best translated as in the NIV" "on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Luke emphasizes the work of Christ on earth (cf. 5:24).
The "peace" here is that which the Messiah brings to those on whom God bestows his grace (cf. 1:79). Those whom Jesus healed or forgave on the basis of their faith could "go in peace" (7:50; 8:48). Those on whom God's "favor" rests are the "little children" (10:21) to whom God reveals truth according to his "good pleasure." [NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament].
"By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we
also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this
world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from
him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us
not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." (1 John
3:16-18). [THE NKJV STUDY BIBLE].
16 The test of true love is identified as willingness to sacrifice one's life for one's brother. The demonstrative "this" that begins the statement points backward to the negative example of Cain and forward to the positive example of Christ. Love is used absolutely and its reference point is Christ's death. The demand for love thus arises from his command, and the meaning of love is found in his example. "We know" suggests that the knowledge that is involved belongs to events of Jesus Christ, which they heard from the beginning (cf. 1:1; 3:11). "Love" (agape) cannot be derived from some intuitive grasp of an idea but is known in the historical event in which Jesus Christ laid down his own life for us (cf. Jn 10:11). His sacrificial death thusdistinguishes agape love from all other loves by its costliness, its unconditional acceptance of another, and its accomplishment. The personal commitment of Christ is expressed in the words of Jn 15:12-13 (cf. 13:1): "Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." Its accomplishment as a "for us" kind of love is reflected in Jesus' work. It is clear that Jesus understood his death as an effectual, accomplishing act for giving us eternal life (Jn 10:28); it was the only method open to him to fulfill his Father's will (cf. Jn 10:11-18, 27-30; 15:9-18; 17:19). Since agape love is grounded in Jesus death for us, knowledge of it can be received only where his "death" is appropriated into our experience. The dramatic conclusion we are irresistibly led to is this: "And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." We are to do this not simply because that is what Jesus did, but because that is what Jesus revealed to be the demand of agape love. Love is denial of self for another's gain.
17 Again
John's penchant for providing practical "tests" of the validity of one's
faith comes to the fore. How can we know whether we would sacrifice our
life for a fellow believer? We can know by being compassionate toward
such a one in his or her present need. If we are unable or unwilling to
sacrifice material advantage for the sake of our fellow believers, we
know that the love of God is not in us. What are the conditions for our
involvement? If we are in a position to see with our own eyes someone's
need (as, for example, the good Samaritan did, Lk 10:29-37) and can
offer help, then we cannot do otherwise than act. To withhold help in
such a situation is to shut off compassionate action and to deny the
presence of God's love in our own heart. 18 Turning
back to "little children", John admonishes with the tone of a spiritual
father pleading for the heartfelt response of his children. Love
requires more than idle talk or exalted theology. It demands simple
acts, which anyone can see, in order to meet the needs of brothers and
sisters in distress. Any expression of love that fails here is not only
empty but blasphemous (cf. Jam 2:15-16; 1 Cor 13:1-3). [NIV BIBLE COMMENTARY Volume 2: New Testament].
