You're a Number 4!

Today my small group went through the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23). In summary, the parable talks about 4 types of seeds:

1. Those that fall on the path and were eaten by birds
2. Those that fall on rocky ground and were scorched by the sun
3. Those that fall among the thorns which choked the plant as it grew
4. Those that fell on good soil and produced a crop

I shall not go into the interpretations of each one coz you can read it on your own. Previously when I read this passage, I always thought of myself as probably a Number 3, choked by "the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth". Tonight, I felt that God was saying that we are all Number 4.

We probably think of Number 2 or Number 3 as a position of humility, recognising our weakness and striving to be the elusive Number 4. I think that rather than being humble, we short-change ourselves and God by having such an attitude because we are in effect saying, "Look, let's be realistic... there's no way I can be a Number 4. How can I possibly produce a crop 'a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown'?"

When we say that, we negate the power of the Holy Spirit and fall into the trap of thinking that we can buy our way into heaven. Jesus has already made us Number 4 by dying on the cross for our sins and freeing us from sin and death. And by the Holy Spirit we are empowered to be God's agents in this world. And if the God of the universe is backing us, the sky's the limit!

This doesn't mean we all chill out coz "it is finished." Instead, it opens our eyes to the huge potential of what is possible. Yes, you could be the next Billy Graham. Yes, you could be the C.S. Lewis. "Why?" you may ask. But why not? If we become truly conscious of what is possible with God when we surrender our lives into His hands, we would probably stop wasting our time and energy indulging in sin and thus jeopardise the most important relationship we will ever have.

To quote from a book entitled "The Salvation Equation" written by a friend of mine, Adriel Loh:

"For the starting point of freedom, we return to the Cross. In faith appropriation, we affirm that through the Cross, the dominion of sin in our lives has been broken (Romans 6:6,7). This is a past even that has already taken place. We no longer need to pray for God to break the power of sin and bondage in our lives because it has been done. We have been set free. The prison door has been unlocked. All that remains is for us to stand up in faith, push the door open, and step out into the light of the reality of freedom. We therefore pray daily for the Holy Spirit to convict us of the reality of this freedom. We then confess with our mouths that we are dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:11).

To confess and claim is only the first step of faith. This of itself is insufficient for lasting freedom. Many Christians make the mistake of claiming and confessing, and do little else. While our victory over sin took place once for all when Christ died on the Cross, to translate this into our human experience requires a continuous process of faith to appropriate it in our lives."

It's kind've like the Matrix, only that you've got to remind yourself daily that you've been set free and are more than a conqueror in Christ. As the dude who tells stories on FM 93.8 in the morning says, " change your perspective, and you could change your life." So what are you waiting for, you're a Number 4! :D