Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 8:7, 14

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 8:7, 14
"And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection."

The parable of the sower, and of particular the seeds that fell among thorns. It doesn't appear that the problem is having no roots that go deep enough, or someone saying things that destroy their faith. The problem is where they are spending their time. They care to much about the things of the world, riches, pleasures and have no fruit to show for it. The soil was good but they put obstacles in the way of receiving the spirit to guide them. Soon they just drifted off into the world.

It made me think of the time wasters. Never has it been so easy to waste our time. Tonight I was washing the dishes while listening to videos. I didn't realize my battery was low and suddenly my phone went dead. I proceeded to work in silence. I realized I don't often have silence around me. It's usually filled with hearing or reading something. I realized how much I missed that. Just me and my thoughts, which usually leads to really good impressions on things I need to do. Sometimes, we don't realize we have a lot of thorns around us, crowding out the Spirit from speaking to us. Before we know it our spiritual batteries run dry leaving us to the world.

Day 4105

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 6:14

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 6:14
"So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the Lord."

I was just thinking about this yesterday. How sometimes people do not believe until they see something that opens their eyes.

"But as many as there were who did not believe in the words of Samuel were angry with him; and they cast stones at him upon the wall, and also many shot arrows at him as he stood upon the wall; but the Spirit of the Lord was with him, insomuch that they could not hit him with their stones neither with their arrows.
Now when they saw that they could not hit him, there were many more who did believe on his words, insomuch that they went away unto Nephi to be baptized."
(Helaman 16:2-3)

I wondered if this was a good thing? For in the end they do believe. I realized that this was the parable of the sower. That these are the seeds sown in stony places.

"Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away."
(Matthew 14:5-6)

When you have to see to believe you have no spiritual depth to your roots. This is not desirable. When their faith is tested they will wither and die. The environment needs to change, to dig roots deep and not be shaken. With the greatest of care they need to be fully converted, with eyes of faith looking towards Christ, and not in the signs.

Day 1383