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Women in Discipleship (sm)
Weekly Devotionals 2005
Week 25
Life comes at us hard sometimes. It seems that seasons of trial are manifested more and more in life today. We are told to be spiritually armored from head to toe because there is an enemy out there working very hard to try and devour us.
Scripture to ponder: Matthew 13:20-21 - "And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away."
As I read those words, I think how sad it is when people make a profession of faith in Jesus but don't really embrace the true story. When I see people attending a conference where the Word is preached, and they are asked to step forward to testify of their faith, I become both energized and apprehensive. Why? Sorrow and repentance must come first. Next is the desire to be rooted and grounded in the Word of God. These people need to be shepherded (discipled). Danger is lurking in those early moments because their joy can be washed away in the trials of living.
True joy in Jesus is a lifelong adventure in faith. In verse 21, we see that some people experience temporary, not genuine, faith. If it were the real thing, the genuine believer would still hold on through the afflictions and persecutions of the world (or rather Jesus holds onto them). This is where the church and discipleship are vital. There are so many Scriptures that explain the need we have for one another in the body of Christ.
How is your walk of faith? Are you walking in the world or in Christ? Being a friend of the world leads only to death. Our Lord said in verse 23, "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." This is the soil of joy.
May our soil be abundantly fruit-bearing today and always in Jesus Christ.
Blessings to each of you,
Sandra Davis for the Women in Discipleship team
(Have you looked at our online Bible study about Women Of Faith? We hope it will encourage you in your walk of faith.)
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