Sowing Your Seeds So that They Will Make a Difference in Life

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying:  9

My Reflection on Verse:

We can spread the word of God to the world.  Yet, there are people that will make all kinds of decisions when they are giving the opportunity of life.  We have to remember in this saying there are no difference in the seed or the sower.  The seed is the Good News.  The Sower is the Jesus.

The first seeds fall on the ears of people who do not care about hearing the Good News.  The seeds fall on deaf ears.  We have to understand that there are people that can just fluster you when you tell them the story.  The Good News is just pushed aside and is eating up by the world.  They have no hope of growing until they are accepted by someone that wants to hear.

The second seeds fall on the rocks.  This is the situation where the person hears the

Good News but turn away.  They are willing to hear yet; they are not motivated to accept Jesus in their life.  Instead the Good news even though heard doesn’t grow.  These people can have the rock in their life slip away and they can one day have good soil to hear the Good News and accept it.

The third seeds fall on good soil.  The seeds start to grow yet, is choked out by the thorns.  These are people that accept Jesus yet, remain in the world.  They do not change their ways.  They are consumed with living in the world.  Even though they have Jesus in their life they will not produce crops.  These people are Christians who do not live the way of God.  They may treat people with discrimination.  They may continue doing their temptations freely.  They may also grow yet feel that they cannot share God.  These are the people that are the closest to having good soil.  They only need to break through what is stifling their walk with God to live in peace.

The last seeds fall on good Earth.  The harvest is grand with these seeds.  They accept God freely.  They grow their faith daily.  They become a very strong plant.  They are willing to share the Good News freely.  People will come to know Jesus because these Christian share Jesus not only by what they say but how they live their life.

Like many other choices we have an opportunity to choose how we want to accept the Good News.  Remember that this is the most important choices you will make in your life.

Questions:

Are you the person that hears the Good News but it is insignificant in their life?  Are you the person that hears the Good News yet isn’t ready to accept?  Are you the person that hears the Good News accepts it but doesn’t follow what you are taught?  Are you the person that hears the Good News and undergoes a full life change?  Are you ready to become the person that accepts Jesus and has their life changed forever?

A Wise Fisherman

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 8

My Reflection on Verse:

This is a saying about choices you can make.  You can make wise decisions or you can make foolish decisions.  Even though the saying doesn’t talk about the foolish choices we can infer what the foolish decision would be.  We have to understand that the wise man will make the best decisions and the most important times of all.

Let us understand that when you make foolish decisions you affect your whole life.  We have to understand that the most foolish decision you can make is not to accept Jesus in your life.  We have to see that we have the opportunity over and over again to choose Jesus in your life. 

A wise person will choose salvation over all other things.  They are looking for something in their life to change things.  They look through the multitude of choices that confront them and they choose the one that leads to everlasting life.  The things of the world they skip to be forever connected to the Holy One.

The fish are all the available choices that a person can choose from.  We can decide to take some of the small fish and have a lot of problems.  See the small fish are all the transgressions that we can consume in our life.  We can choose to keep all the little fish and throw back the big fish.  This would be like having that opportunity right in front of you and instead of accepting Jesus you choose to live in sin to the fullest.

The person that chooses the big fish and throws the small fish back is choosing the lifesaving power of Jesus in their life.  Now, we have to understand that the person that didn’t accept Jesus will be given the opportunity to accept Jesus at any point of their life.  Yet, if they continue throwing back the saving power of Jesus they will never receive the big reward in life.

I actually experienced a situation like this the other day.  I went to a small lake and was watching people fish.  There was one man that was catching fish; he was throwing back on the small fish that he caught.  He was only keeping the large fish that would give him more meat to consume.

No more than 25 feet away sit two people fishing.  Every fish that they pulled out of the water they were keeping.  They had actually gotten into a school of small fish.  They were catching many fish and they were taking them all with them.  The time that I was there they never caught a large enough fish to really keep.

When I asked the first man how things were going.  He said it was fun and he had caught one really nice fish.  Yet, he was letting the others go back so that they could grow and become bigger fish.  He was allowing the little fish go back in the water with the thought that the next time that he came maybe he would never catch it again and it would be big enough to take home.

When we asked the second couple about how things were going.  They were really excited about all the fish that they were catching.  Yet, the man said that he came out several times before and hadn’t caught anything.  I wanted to say you aren’t catching fish because you are taking the little ones before they have a chance to mature.  

The choice is yours.  You can throw your net in the world and consume all the small fish and throw back the big one.  You can also decide to throw your net and only keep the large fish.  The first person that keeps all the small fish is allowing the world of sin to be more important than the love of Jesus.  Yet, the person that keeps the big fish and let the small ones go back is accepting to follow Jesus over the things of this world.

Questions:

Have you accepted the love of Jesus?  Are you choosing to live in the world by allowing yourself to fall for temptations without ever accepting Jesus in your life?  What do you need to do today to change your life?

The choice is yours who will you follow the Lion or the Lamb

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 7

My Reflection on Verse:

 The lion represents the evil of the world.  We have to understand that we have an option of how to deal with the lion when it comes.  We can decide if we follow Jesus and walk away from the world.  We can also decide to follow things of the Earth.  This saying explains the blessings that come when you make that choice.

Let us start with the second part of the saying.  The person that turns from God and lives in the world is not blessed.  Instead you are paying your respect to the world.  In this situation sin becomes the victory. 

The first part of the saying is talking about the person that accepts Jesus in their life.  This person is confronted by the world yet walks away from it.  This person does not allow the sin of the world to overcome their life.  The person that does not allow the world to consume them will be blessed in life.

Now we might say we all commit transgressions even when we have Jesus in our life.  We are not perfect.  No one can go through life without committing sin.  In fact, people who are sinners will continue sinning after they are saved.  So how can they still be blessed while the other person who is not saved is not blessed?

The key here is the power of the blood of the lamb compared to the aggression of the Lion of the world.  The blood covers any sin if you accept Jesus in your life.  God no longer sees your sin all that is seen is a person that has the blood of the lamb covering their sins.  Yet, the person that does not accept Jesus does not have the gift of the blood of the lamb.

The lion is defeated by the lamb.  The lion can only strike against those that are not saved.  Those that have Jesus in their life have a shield around them.  A power that helps them makes choices between following the world and relying on God.  They may slip and do things of the world.  Yet, the lamb is there to help them to recover.  If you do not have Jesus in your life you will be completely immersed in the world.

The choice is yours.  Jesus is waiting for you to accept the saving power all the time.  You can choose today to follow God.  It may take a while for you to truly understand the saving power of God.  Yet, what is important is that as soon as you accept Jesus in your life you now have the saving power of the one above.  Your life will be blessed from that day forward.

Questions:

 Are you living consumed by the evil of the world?  Are you living in the blessings of the blood of the lamb?  Is today the day that you ask Jesus in your heart?  

How Are We Supposed to Live

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 6

My Reflection on Verse:

We have to start with the questions of the disciples.  There they are questioning how we live our life.  Do we give to the poor?  Do we pray?  What things must we do to praise God?

God tells them to live their life as if there is nothing to be ashamed of.  God knows what we do in secret and what we do in open.  We need to live our life knowing that God is with us at all times.  If we feel something is wrong, then it is wrong.  If we feel that we are doing the right thing, then it is right. 

I was told this when I was little and it is still true as an adult.  My parents might know what I do but God sees it.  My parents might not be able to discipline me for what I am doing wrong behind their back but God will.  See we cannot hide from God.  Live your life so that others may see God in your life.  If you live your life like this you will see that you have a more productive life.

You will not have anything to be ashamed of.  People can look at you and say there goes a Christian.  This happens because not only what you do in the open, but also what you do not do. You have to understand when you are a Christian people are watching you.  This is a time to shine bright.  Live with your eyes on God and you will be successful in your life.  Hide away from God and you will soon that you are getting nowhere.  The best thing to do in life is live as if God is always there and in that moment you will find that you are doing the right thing all the time.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Are you living as if God is with you all the time?  Are you trying to hide things from God?  Are you ashamed of what you are doing?  Is this today that you turn all things over to God and live as if God sees all things?

You will Come to Understand All Things

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 5

My Reflection on Verse:

We always think that there is so much that we do not know about God and God’s plan for our life.  Yet, the biggest problem is that we do not recognize what is right in our sights.  We are so busy hunting for the unknown that we do not realize what all God is showing us now.

When we start to recognize what is right before us we start seeing what we thought was hidden.  You come to realize that some of the things that you thought were hidden are right in front of your eyes.  In fact, you start to realize that God doesn’t want to hide the plan for your life.  You are just not looking at what is happening and guiding you along your set path.

We have to understand that all the things seen and unseen will come to pass.  We come to understand that God’s plan for our life will manifest itself.  We have to understand that God will lead us through life.  Sometimes a wall comes up and we think that this has stopped us from where we need to go.  Yet, if we pay close attention and look around the wall we will see the new path.   Keep your mind open for God will reveal everything to you and everything that you thought was hidden will come to be.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Are you really looking at the world with open eyes?  Are you willing to accept the truth that God has in front of you?  Are you so worried about what you don’t know that you are missing what you do know?  Has a wall come up on the path that you thought you were on?  Have you become willing to look for the path that God has set for your life?

We are all the Same

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 4

My Reflection on Verse:

How many times in our life do we judge the young and think they are less knowledgeable than ourselves?  How many times do we look at strangers and judge them before we ever know them?  Don’t be upset if you discover that you have done this quite often.  The truth is that we are all guilty of judging others at one point or another.

There is one thing that we need to understand is that we are all the same. None of us are any better than anyone else.  There are things that we all can learn.  We have to remember that judging others separates us from knowledge that we will one day need. 

When we think we are better than others we will eventually have to face the fact that we have faults.  We will see that we need other people to help us along the pace.  We have to come to realize that we are no better than the person next to us.  The person next to us may know the secret that we need to hear.

We have to learn to be humble.  We need to be open to the lessons people can teach us.  We need to remove the pedestal that we put ourselves and others on.  In all reality we are no better than anyone else.  When we learn this lesson we will see that through it all that we are no better or no worse than anyone else.  With this knowledge we can treat people fairly.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Do you judge others?  Do you think you are better than others?  Do you need to become humble and accept that we are all the same in the end?  Do you need to accept that those that think they are better will be knocked to their knees and those that are humble will become first?

You Must Use Your Mind or It Will Be Worthless

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 3

My Reflection on Verse;

The mind is a tool that we must use.  Once you come to the knowledge of Gods inner salvation you must continue learning more.  We have to enlighten ourselves on where the Realm of God is truly are.  We have come to understand that we can reach the Realm of God by accepting God.

The question that comes into play is where the Realm of God is.  If we say the realm of God is in the sky are we not saying that the Birds of the air are closer to God.  If we say the realm of God is in the seas are we not saying that the fish of the sea are closer to God.  If we say that the Realm of God is in the things of the Earth is not the animals that walk the earth are closer to God.

The concept that we are to learn is that the Realm of God is within us.  God lives within us if we accept God.  We have to remember that our mind allows us to experience God in a way that nothing else.  The Realm of God is embedded deep in ourselves.

We must then continue using our mind to learn about God.  We will find over way that we will grow closer to God if we continue to learn more about the realm of God.  It is an inner experience that only comes from accepting the beloved Savior to live within us.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Have you found the Realm of God?  Do you use your mind to continue learning the story of God and?  Do you use your mind to walk closer to God?  Are you using your mind so that it will not become worthless?

Discovering God Through Knowledge and Understanding

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 2

My Reflection on Verse:

We must search for the truth.  It is through this that we discover what we are seeking.  We find the many things that Jesus wants us to know.  It is a matter of using your mind to search.

Once you discover the truth your mind will become troubled.  For you not only find the Salvation of Jesus.  You also discover the truth of what you have done.  Through searching you will come to the point that your knowledge is so vast that you start to wonder about your own life.  You have gained the wisdom, similar to what Adam and Eve discovered in the Garden of Eden.  They had learned the truth by eating of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil they came to understand their shortcomings.  As you continue to seek you will also come to the knowledge of what has been good and bad in your own life.

Those that have come to the knowledge of what they have done in life.  Those that also have knowledge have found their way to the salvation of Jesus.  It is in that moment when you are most troubled that you come to understand how much you need God in your life.  If you had not searched for the truth and be killed with knowledge you would never come to the point where you were troubled with your life.  Once you are troubled you will come to the understanding that all can disappear from your life as long as you give it over to Jesus.  Wisdom of the past and future will lead one to accept the good fortunes of the future when they come to accept the savior.  We will then have the knowledge that we need to live our life in Reverence of God.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

Are you seeking for understanding?  Have you discovered the fact that you have fallen short of what God wants in your life.  Have you accepted that you must have Jesus in your life?  Have you turned your life over to God because of the knowledge that you have come to understand?

How is one Saved: Knowing that Christ Died or a Deep Understanding of Why Jesus Died?

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying: 1

My Reflection on Verse:

The Gnostics believed that salvation came from within a person.  The process was not due to an outward experience.  Knowledge and understanding is the very essence of understanding God. 

Many of us accept Jesus at face value.  We understand that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and on the third day arose from the grave.  With this information we come to accept Jesus in our life with what we can physically see. 

In this saying of Jesus it becomes apparent the responsibility of the person to use their mind to understand the gift that God freely gives.  It goes deeper than what we can see but it is the inner knowledge to understand God.  It is through understanding of all the mysteries contained in the Gospel that keeps a person from perishing.

In this way of thinking it is not only about accepting Jesus but understanding the reason behind accepting Jesus.  A deep inner thought in which you look at the sayings and decode what is written.  A person must use their mind to accept the grace of God.

Questions:

Do you believe that you have to have a deep understanding of the mystery of God to be saved?  Do you believe you can accept that Jesus died for your sins and arose from the grave and because of this knowledge one can be saved?  Is it possible that it is a combination of the two understanding why and accepting that it did happen and in these two things one is saved?