Check out all the previous Pray for ONE Readings here.
Pray for ONE Reading Plan | Week 4 | Day 1
Prayer
As you come to spend time with Jesus, calm your mind and body until you feel fully present. Ask Him to teach you more about Himself today.
Bible Reading: Luke 8:5-15
Read these verses three times slowly.
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,
“‘though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.’
“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Reflection & Questions
In our last week of readings on Pray for ONE, we are going to look at five steps someone takes in their journey towards coming to know Jesus. This journey can guide our prayers for our ONEs. An easy way to remember this is the acronym HEART. Today, we start with H, and it stands for praying that our one would have a receptive Heart.
The parable of the sower brilliantly illustrates how even though the seed (the word of God) remains the same, the results vary dramatically depending on the condition of the soil (hearts). There are four types of hearts illustrated:
- Unresponsive Hearts: They reject the message almost immediately.
- Fairweather Hearts: They receive God’s word, but when difficulties come, they don’t persevere, but give up their faith.
- Distracted Hearts: They receive God’s word, but ultimately, their desires are for other things.
- Receptive Hearts: They receive God’s word, and it leads to a harvest of changes in their lives and the lives of those around them.
As we consider our ONEs, we might perceive the condition of the heart as one of these types. Perhaps their hearts are unresponsive and they’re rejecting God right now. Perhaps they’ve walked with God in the past, but right now they are pursuing other things – they’re distracted. Whatever the condition of their heart right now, the good news is that it’s not stuck there. God is the Master Soil Tender, the perfect Heart Surgeon. So in our prayers for our ONEs, we come to the Heart Surgeon, and ask Him to do His work. To change hearts to be receptive..
- Consider your own heart today. Which type would you be? Talk to God about that.
- How does this parable help you understand your ONE more and to fuel your prayer for them?
Prayer
Pray in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
