Falling is enviable. it will happen. No one goes through life without falling. In our familiar parable, the farmer sows the seed. Some fell on the path; some fell on rocky ground; some fell into thorns and some fell on good ground. Not all seed falls on the same type of ground. Some seed fails to reach it's potential. The point of the parable is not the seed, rather it was about where the seed fell. All the seed is the same. The seed was for whatever ground would receive it. Jesus was telling us that there are four types of places to fall. The seed will find one of four different kinds of people. Where it lands will determine what becomes of the seed. Only one out of four will receive the full benefit of the seed. We will try to reach everyone, but only one in four will take it in. God pours out upon us, but are we ready to receive all that He has? Are we too hard to let the seed to take root? Do we think that the seed is falling by the wayside? Have we said "that seed isn't for me?" The seed that fell by the wayside did not live it's life outside the boundry. It didn't get to choose what became of it. It was eaten up by something else. The devil does not care about the seed, he just wants to keep it from us so he destroys it. Some of the seed fell in rocky places. At first there seemed to hope. The seed sprouted, but there were no roots to sustain it. The rocky soil wants the seed, but is too hard to allow it to fully take root. The rocky soil has the desire, but not the passion. He wants to receive the seed, but does not want to give anything back. The seed that falls into the thorny place is in a tumultuous environment. Life is crowded and busy. This ground is one of the most common in today's world. These people understand what is needed and required, but life gets busy. This ground understands the importance of the seed, but life requires more and more. The thorns begin to choke out the sprouts of the seed. Good intentions are great, but hell is full of people with good intentions. Trying to balance church, finances, job and family can become an overwhelming tangle of thorns. There are many people who have great intentions and spend a lot of time trying to work for the kingdom. If they are not careful, these things can choke out the seed that God has planted in our life. There are good people who do good things for God, but they may not be getting the better part. Finally there is the good soil. This is the soil that seems to just get it. It produces crops and yields much more than is put into it. This is the one that spends time seeking God's face. The one who seeks God's will. These people will remove the thorns and rocks from their life and prepare themselves to receive the seed that God wants to plant. Bro. Long wants to know where do we fall? It matters where we fall.

Falling is enviable. it will happen. No one goes through life without falling. In our familiar parable, the farmer sows the seed. Some fell on the path; some fell on rocky ground; some fell into thorns and some fell on good ground. Not all seed falls on the same type of ground. Some seed fails to reach it's potential. The point of the parable is not the seed, rather it was about where the seed fell. All the seed is the same. The seed was for whatever ground would receive it. Jesus was telling us that there are four types of places to fall. The seed will find one of four different kinds of people. Where it lands will determine what becomes of the seed. Only one out of four will receive the full benefit of the seed. We will try to reach everyone, but only one in four will take it in. God pours out upon us, but are we ready to receive all that He has? Are we too hard to let the seed to take root? Do we think that the seed is falling by the wayside? Have we said "that seed isn't for me?" The seed that fell by the wayside did not live it's life outside the boundry. It didn't get to choose what became of it. It was eaten up by something else. The devil does not care about the seed, he just wants to keep it from us so he destroys it. Some of the seed fell in rocky places. At first there seemed to hope. The seed sprouted, but there were no roots to sustain it. The rocky soil wants the seed, but is too hard to allow it to fully take root. The rocky soil has the desire, but not the passion. He wants to receive the seed, but does not want to give anything back. The seed that falls into the thorny place is in a tumultuous environment. Life is crowded and busy. This ground is one of the most common in today's world. These people understand what is needed and required, but life gets busy. This ground understands the importance of the seed, but life requires more and more. The thorns begin to choke out the sprouts of the seed. Good intentions are great, but hell is full of people with good intentions. Trying to balance church, finances, job and family can become an overwhelming tangle of thorns. There are many people who have great intentions and spend a lot of time trying to work for the kingdom. If they are not careful, these things can choke out the seed that God has planted in our life. There are good people who do good things for God, but they may not be getting the better part. Finally there is the good soil. This is the soil that seems to just get it. It produces crops and yields much more than is put into it. This is the one that spends time seeking God's face. The one who seeks God's will. These people will remove the thorns and rocks from their life and prepare themselves to receive the seed that God wants to plant. Bro. Long wants to know where do we fall? It matters where we fall.

"In Love's Service Only Wounded Soldiers Can Serve." This quote from Thornton Wilders play "The Angel That Troubled the Waters" is a painful one, most of us don't "sign up" to be wounded soldiers. In this play, based on the story of the troubled waters front he bible, an angel stops the man from entering the pool explaining that in the service of love, only the wounded need apply. The message is that for some who are hurting, they need to see others who are experiencing problems in order to be healed. Through all the mess and hurt, God will see us through. The bible proclaims that He will strengthen our heart. People who have lived through problems can testify that through it all, God is faithful. The wounds in our life are there for a purpose. They are there so that we can be a witness to a hurting world. Only the wounded can heal.

"In Love's Service Only Wounded Soldiers Can Serve." This quote from Thornton Wilders play "The Angel That Troubled the Waters" is a painful one, most of us don't "sign up" to be wounded soldiers. In this play, based on the story of the troubled waters front he bible, an angel stops the man from entering the pool explaining that in the service of love, only the wounded need apply. The message is that for some who are hurting, they need to see others who are experiencing problems in order to be healed. Through all the mess and hurt, God will see us through. The bible proclaims that He will strengthen our heart. People who have lived through problems can testify that through it all, God is faithful. The wounds in our life are there for a purpose. They are there so that we can be a witness to a hurting world. Only the wounded can heal.

It is said that perception is reality. That is not true. In our text, the Moabites perceived that there was blood in the valley, but it was not blood. In advertising, products are presented in such a way as to make us want them. When we receive the burger, it will not appear as perfect as the one in the picture. In our text, they were without water and had been for some time. Elijah instructs the three kings to dig ditches in the valley. Those that expect God's blessing must make room for those blessings. If they had not dug the ditches, all that God sent would have run off and been gone. This blessing also caused them to be victorious against the Moabites. Had they not dug the ditches, the water would have run off. The blessings of God will flow, and if we are not prepared to receive it, they will flow to someone else. This water would come differently than it ever had before. They would not hear the wind, nor see the rain. But the water would come. God was letting them know that they had to prepare for the blessing that would come. Before they would receive the water and defeat Moab, they had some work to do. The work they did was worth every second that they spent. God will bless us for the work we are doing. It is difficult to grab a shovel and dig when there is no sign of rain, but God honors His promises. It is difficult to prepare. Prayer and fasting are difficult. Often we seem dry and barren in the dessert, and God asks us to dig. If, like the children of Israel, we obey, God will honor our labor and preparation and bless us as He has promised. Moab looked over the valley and believed that the three Kings had killed each other and set out to plunder. The enemy will have no mercy. When he perceives that we are down, he will rush in to trample us. God's distraction became the enemy's destruction. God provided water to the children of Israel, but it also served another purpose: to distract the enemy enough to allow His people to be victorious. The bible is full of stories about situations that appeared bleak, but God orchestrated a different outcome. God uses these situations to bring glory to HIm. No matter how bleak the situation,with God, it is not what it looks like.

It is said that perception is reality. That is not true. In our text, the Moabites perceived that there was blood in the valley, but it was not blood. In advertising, products are presented in such a way as to make us want them. When we receive the burger, it will not appear as perfect as the one in the picture. In our text, they were without water and had been for some time. Elijah instructs the three kings to dig ditches in the valley. Those that expect God's blessing must make room for those blessings. If they had not dug the ditches, all that God sent would have run off and been gone. This blessing also caused them to be victorious against the Moabites. Had they not dug the ditches, the water would have run off. The blessings of God will flow, and if we are not prepared to receive it, they will flow to someone else. This water would come differently than it ever had before. They would not hear the wind, nor see the rain. But the water would come. God was letting them know that they had to prepare for the blessing that would come. Before they would receive the water and defeat Moab, they had some work to do. The work they did was worth every second that they spent. God will bless us for the work we are doing. It is difficult to grab a shovel and dig when there is no sign of rain, but God honors His promises. It is difficult to prepare. Prayer and fasting are difficult. Often we seem dry and barren in the dessert, and God asks us to dig. If, like the children of Israel, we obey, God will honor our labor and preparation and bless us as He has promised. Moab looked over the valley and believed that the three Kings had killed each other and set out to plunder. The enemy will have no mercy. When he perceives that we are down, he will rush in to trample us. God's distraction became the enemy's destruction. God provided water to the children of Israel, but it also served another purpose: to distract the enemy enough to allow His people to be victorious. The bible is full of stories about situations that appeared bleak, but God orchestrated a different outcome. God uses these situations to bring glory to HIm. No matter how bleak the situation,with God, it is not what it looks like.

In Paul's writing, he is trying to make us aware of the life that we are endeavoring to live. All the "stuff" that goes on in life is not lost to God. Paul speaks of things. The "things" in life are the events of the day; trials, tasks, duties, and pressures that come with the everyday living of life. Paul cautions us to be careful of things because "things' have a way of working against us. They can blind us to the great realities of life. Pauls was so concerned for the early church as to warn them that things have the potential to separate us from the love of God. The things in life could drive a wedge between us and God. When we consider that, we have to think about what all Paul was implying. He was saying that present things have a way of blinding us to the what is down the world. Things can affect our perception of life. Paul was trying to help the Roman's understand that things can get so close and so personal that they can block out the things that God is trying to show us. Things can cause us to feel distant from God. In our busy crowded lives, we all need to withdraw from our problems to gain a better perspective. It is all too easy to only see the problem, and miss the possibilities and opportunities. In moments of crisis, we must step back and see Christ. Present things have a way of making us question the purpose; to see how anything good can come from them. Families, careers and lives are jeopardized because people lose sight of the bigger picture. What is blocking our vision of what God has for us. The question that Paul raises in our text is one that we all need to ask as we face life: What shall we say to these things? Paul is telling us that we have a choice of how we respond to these things. Some of them we resent, some we resisit, some depress us. No matter what the thing, we respond in some way. The answer to Paul's question will decided whether we are successful in dealing with things. The real difference in people is not their problems, but in their perspective. There are many things that are no in our control, but we do control is how we respond to things. Often in life our response to something is automatic. Our automatic responses to things block us from the possibilities that there are other ways to deal with things. Often there is a better way to respond than the way we usually respond. What shall we say to these things?

In Paul's writing, he is trying to make us aware of the life that we are endeavoring to live. All the "stuff" that goes on in life is not lost to God. Paul speaks of things. The "things" in life are the events of the day; trials, tasks, duties, and pressures that come with the everyday living of life. Paul cautions us to be careful of things because "things' have a way of working against us. They can blind us to the great realities of life. Pauls was so concerned for the early church as to warn them that things have the potential to separate us from the love of God. The things in life could drive a wedge between us and God. When we consider that, we have to think about what all Paul was implying. He was saying that present things have a way of blinding us to the what is down the world. Things can affect our perception of life. Paul was trying to help the Roman's understand that things can get so close and so personal that they can block out the things that God is trying to show us. Things can cause us to feel distant from God. In our busy crowded lives, we all need to withdraw from our problems to gain a better perspective. It is all too easy to only see the problem, and miss the possibilities and opportunities. In moments of crisis, we must step back and see Christ. Present things have a way of making us question the purpose; to see how anything good can come from them. Families, careers and lives are jeopardized because people lose sight of the bigger picture. What is blocking our vision of what God has for us. The question that Paul raises in our text is one that we all need to ask as we face life: What shall we say to these things? Paul is telling us that we have a choice of how we respond to these things. Some of them we resent, some we resisit, some depress us. No matter what the thing, we respond in some way. The answer to Paul's question will decided whether we are successful in dealing with things. The real difference in people is not their problems, but in their perspective. There are many things that are no in our control, but we do control is how we respond to things. Often in life our response to something is automatic. Our automatic responses to things block us from the possibilities that there are other ways to deal with things. Often there is a better way to respond than the way we usually respond. What shall we say to these things?

On his last trip to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled through the town of Bethany where he stopped to have a meal at his friend's home. In this familiar story, Mary anoints Jesus with ointment from the alabaster box. The disciples were outraged because of the cost of her sacrifice. If anyone should have appreciated what was being done, it should have been the disciples. But instead of applauding what she did, they looked at her with indignation and questioned "why was this wasted." To them it appeared to be a careless waste of a precious commodity. They said that it could have been sold for great value. Bro. Hughes proclaims that Mary knew well the value of that box. The disciples regarded it as waste, but Jesus admonished them and applauded her for her actions. He said that it would be remembered as a memorial and that She "did what she could." In this story, Jesus says that he is more interested in what she did than what she COULD do. It is better to have a church filled with people doing what they can, rather than talking about what could be done! She did more than she knew on that occasion. She was not absorbed int he present, she was preparing Him for what was to come. Preparing for the future is not a waste of time. Mary's act was selfless. Had she been concerned about the value of the box or it's contents, she would not have done it. She decided that He was worth it all. By breaking the box, she insured that it would never be used for any lesser purpose. In breaking the box, she was declaring that she was not holding back but giving all. Waste is not in what is given, waste is what is not given. All of the ointment went out and she satisfied the Lord with her giving. We need to give all to Him. Rather than loaning our services to God and counting the cost of what we give, we should do as Mary and give all to Him. We must stop measuring out what we give to God, we must give all. Pour it all out. The disciples criticism of Mary began with one man, but soon spread to the others. The real waste was not in Mary, but in Judas. The real waste was not in what she had poured out, the real waste was what the others held back and did not pour out. A waste is being blessed and not being a blessing to others. A waste is having to measure all we do to ensure that we do not do too much. A waste is someone who has a talent that they do not use. There is never a waste in the giving, but the true waste is in the withholding. Waste is when we have a gift to give, but we do not give it to God. A waste is when we only see the price, but not the value of what we do. The very reason many people cannot live for God is because they are always counting the cost of that life. What is waste? Not giving to Him is the real waste.

On his last trip to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled through the town of Bethany where he stopped to have a meal at his friend's home. In this familiar story, Mary anoints Jesus with ointment from the alabaster box. The disciples were outraged because of the cost of her sacrifice. If anyone should have appreciated what was being done, it should have been the disciples. But instead of applauding what she did, they looked at her with indignation and questioned "why was this wasted." To them it appeared to be a careless waste of a precious commodity. They said that it could have been sold for great value. Bro. Hughes proclaims that Mary knew well the value of that box. The disciples regarded it as waste, but Jesus admonished them and applauded her for her actions. He said that it would be remembered as a memorial and that She "did what she could." In this story, Jesus says that he is more interested in what she did than what she COULD do. It is better to have a church filled with people doing what they can, rather than talking about what could be done! She did more than she knew on that occasion. She was not absorbed int he present, she was preparing Him for what was to come. Preparing for the future is not a waste of time. Mary's act was selfless. Had she been concerned about the value of the box or it's contents, she would not have done it. She decided that He was worth it all. By breaking the box, she insured that it would never be used for any lesser purpose. In breaking the box, she was declaring that she was not holding back but giving all. Waste is not in what is given, waste is what is not given. All of the ointment went out and she satisfied the Lord with her giving. We need to give all to Him. Rather than loaning our services to God and counting the cost of what we give, we should do as Mary and give all to Him. We must stop measuring out what we give to God, we must give all. Pour it all out. The disciples criticism of Mary began with one man, but soon spread to the others. The real waste was not in Mary, but in Judas. The real waste was not in what she had poured out, the real waste was what the others held back and did not pour out. A waste is being blessed and not being a blessing to others. A waste is having to measure all we do to ensure that we do not do too much. A waste is someone who has a talent that they do not use. There is never a waste in the giving, but the true waste is in the withholding. Waste is when we have a gift to give, but we do not give it to God. A waste is when we only see the price, but not the value of what we do. The very reason many people cannot live for God is because they are always counting the cost of that life. What is waste? Not giving to Him is the real waste.