Stephen spoke from Luke 8:5-15 this morning, a familiar parable which looks at the effect of God’s Word in our lives. Many of us view God’s Word as something flat, failing to realise that it is living and active (see Heb 4:12) and its vibrancy invites us to be transported into its life (rather like a pop-up book engages the attention of a toddler because of its interactive nature.)
Knowing God’s fulness is not a one-off matter, but is an ongoing process which needs our constant attention. God has left us His Word to digest and to use in our lives, but we have to take hold of these things and appropriate them by faith so that we can become fruitful. The seed which feel on good soil produced a large harvest because those with a noble heart hear the word, retain it and by persevering produce a good crop. Many of us don’t have naturally green fingers to make things grow, but need to learn the value of perseverance and of doing what is right.
In the film ‘The NeverEnding Story’, a boy dives into a wonderful fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book. Far from simply being a passive experience, this book becomes the gateway to a magical world of wonder and excitement; the boy experiences a new reality from living within the book.
In the same way, God has given us a book which is not meant to be simply read and studied with our minds, but is a living word which invites us to participate in all of God’s fulness. We are to fully engage with this word (hearts, mind, spirits, emotions all involved) and allow its life to shape, mould and lead us in obedient faith.