Water the Right Seeds

Water the Right Seeds TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: "Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times." (Mark 4:8, NIV). TODAY'S WORD: There was a report about children who had been bullied in school. It talked about how years later, those negative words were still having an effect on many of them. They interviewed this one man. He was in his 40’s. He looked to be a bright, intelligent man, but he had not been able to hold down a good job, struggled in his relationships, and couldn’t seem to get on course. He said as a child, he was overweight. He was chubby, and some of the other children made fun of him and called him names like “loser” and “failure.” He made the mistake of letting those words take root. Now they were keeping him in mediocrity. When somebody calls you something, either good or bad, that seed is planted in your soil. Now you get to determine whether or not that seed takes root and grows. When you dwell on what was said, you are watering the seed. You’re giving it a right to become a reality. That’s why it’s so important that we’re disciplined in our thought life. It’s great when people tell you, “You’re blessed. You’re talented. You’re going to do great things.” Meditate on those throughout the day. Water those seeds and watch His truth become your reality! PRAYER FOR TODAY: Father, thank You for depositing seeds of greatness inside of me. I choose to uproot every negative word spoken over me by accepting Your truth that will set me free! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Personalize God’s Word to Change Your Life

BY RICK WARREN — AUGUST 10, 2014

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6 NLT)

God’s Word will never change your life until you let it become personal. It’s not about your neighbor, your friend, your spouse, or the stranger down the street. God’s Word must be applied to your life. The Bible won’t become dynamic until it becomes specific.

How do you make God’s Word personal? Try the personalize-it method of Bible meditation. Anybody can do it. You don’t need any special tools or advanced theological training.

You simply put your name in the place of pronouns or nouns in Scripture. For example, if I were personalizing John 3:16, I’d write something like this: “For God so loved Rick, he gave his one and only Son so that Rick would not perish but have everlasting life.”

Or, for Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in Rick Warren will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Put your name in the text, and you’ll strengthen your faith and encourage yourself.

You can also re-write the verse as if God is talking directly to you. For example, Philippians 1:6 would be: “I, who began a good work in you, Rick, will carry it on to completion.”

Do this, and many passages of Scripture will literally bring tears to your eyes. You’ll start to read the Bible as God’s love letter to you. It’ll be God’s gift to you! Reading your Bible isn’t just about getting to know the content of the Word; it’s about getting to know the author of the Word — personally!

Talk About It

• Have you ever thought about the Bible as a love letter to you?
• What does it look like when you believe that God wrote the Bible just for you? What does it look like when you treat the Bible and your quiet time with God as a personal conversation and lesson for life?
• How will you personalize what you’re reading today?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBgcrfbrarA