Today Our Daily Bread Matthew 13

~Everyday’s Portion ~
John 17:8 for I have passed on to them the words you gave me; and they accepted them and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.

1 Corinthians 10:3 -4
3 And all of them ate the same miraculous F50 food, 4 and all of them drank the same miraculous water. For they all drank from the miraculous rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.
FOOTNOTES:F50: Greek spiritual; also in 10:4.

~ Today’s Portion ~
Lena’s Comments in other color…..
Matthew 13: 1 - 58
1 Later that same day, Jesus left the house and went down to the shore, 2 where an immense crowd soon gathered. He got into a boat, where he sat and taught as the people listened on the shore.
3 He told many stories such as this one: "A farmer went out to plant some seed. 4 As he scattered it across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The plants sprang up quickly, 6 but they soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades. 8 But some seeds fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted. 9 Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!"

10 His disciples came and asked him, "Why do you always tell stories when you talk to the people?" 11 Then he explained to them, "You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not. 12 To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them. The very principle he is teaching here applies to what He is also saying here. If we do not go forth to purposely get it, we will lose it.
13 That is why I tell these stories, because people see what I do, but they don't really see. They hear what I say, but they don't really hear, and they don't understand. 14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: 'You will hear my words, but you will not understand; you will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning. 15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes – so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.' F73
ONLY God’s word will heal all of the mental anguish we have gone through in life. If we do not hear His words we will not be healed, if we are not healed, we will have no lasting changes happening in our lives and we will never be an example of the hope of the gospel for other hurting people. The enemy will be able to tell people untruths, such as God does not want you healed, God does not love you, etc. The truth of the word will set us free from these lying spirits and their influences. This is why the enemy wants us to not hear or listen. He knows how to put the muzzle on God’s only true witnesses in the earth who are here to free the groaning earth from it’s pain and suffering.
16 "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I assure you, many prophets and godly people have longed to see and hear what you have seen and heard, but they could not.

18 "Now here is the explanation of the story I told about the farmer sowing grain: 19 The seed that fell on the hard path represents those who hear the Good News about the Kingdom and don't understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches the seed away from their hearts. 20 The rocky soil represents those who hear the message and receive it with joy. 21 But like young plants in such soil, their roots don't go very deep. At first they get along fine, but they wilt as soon as they have problems or are persecuted because they believe the word.
We must know well that we will suffer persecution for the word’s sake. There is a spiritual battle going on for the souls of men and women. The word will change the lives of men and women. If the word is given and yet stolen there will be no change, so the enemy would be ok with us actually hearing the word if we could hear it and it would not be able to effect a change in us.
How can that happen? We do not immediately guard it and deliberately keep it safe. We are not admitting it can be taken from us, we’ve been ignorant of the devices of the evil realm and its war against God and those who have the potential to be like Him in the earth. Our enemy knows we were destined to be like God and effect change in the earthly realm. If we allow him to steal the word, change will NOT come. BUTTTTT if we know this, listen to and do the word, apply it to our own lives, sink our faith into it, guard it from the thieves and keep it safe, we will be changed by it and it will begin to have an effect on our earth wherever we are at, wherever we live, for whomever we know, etc. That is a definite threat to the dark forces, set up to see to it there is no change!
22 The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the Good News, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares of this life and the lure of wealth, so no crop is produced.
How does the "lure" of wealth apply to all of this? Simply, it is pulling on you, calling you to spend your time seeking after it, it wants you to give your life over to its service, and it also wants your complete attention. If it gets that it gets you and takes you away from learning and participating in more of what God has for you to do. This is why the word says seek God 1st and all of the rest will be added to you by God. When we are lured by $, we have no time for God, when we are lured by God we get $ anyway. It is the miraculous fruit of a faith filled life.
23 The good soil represents the hearts of those who truly accept God's message and produce a huge harvest – thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted."
Once we get all of these things, becoming aware of their power over our lives and if we take back the power God gives us to live a life unto Him; we will find multiplication happening all around us. No longer will we be being stolen from (subtraction and division) or just making it day to day (addition) But we will be multiplying the kingdom of God in the earth right where we live!
24 Here is another story Jesus told: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as everyone slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. 27 The farmer's servants came and told him, 'Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds!' 28 "'An enemy has done it!' the farmer exclaimed .'Shall we pull out the weeds?' they asked. 29 "He replied, 'No, you'll hurt the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds and burn them and to put the wheat in the barn.'"
Do NOT be decieved into thinking God has made things so hard or that God uses evil to teach us etc. This is such a lie. It is AN enemy who has done this, NOT God.
31 Here is another illustration Jesus used: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants and grows into a tree where birds can come and find shelter in its branches." Multiplication again!

33 Jesus also used this illustration: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast used by a woman making bread. Even though she used a large amount F74 of flour, the yeast permeated every part of the dough."

34 Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables. 35 This fulfilled the prophecy that said, "I will speak to you in parables. I will explain mysteries hidden since the creation of the world." F75

36 Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, "Please explain the story of the weeds in the field." 37 "All right," he said. "I, the Son of Man, am the farmer who plants the good seed. 38 [The field is the world], and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels. 40 "Just as the weeds are separated out and burned, so it will be at the end of the world. 41 I, the Son of Man, will send my angels, and they will remove from my Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace and burn them. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the godly will shine like the sun in their Father's Kingdom. Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!
Have you ever had the thought that the weeping and gnashing of teeth comes from Saints who are watching judgment, and now realize in full light the severity and infinite nature of judgment being executed on those they maybe knew of or maybe had some sort of opportunity to share the kingdom with, but did not for some impertinent reason?
44 "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field – and to get the treasure, too!
45 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!
What causes a person to sell all he has and give all he is over to something or someone? He realizes the eternity involved in the matter, he sees the price that was already paid, and he knows the consequences and is willing to bring the message of freedom to captives.
47 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that is thrown into the water and gathers fish of every kind. 48 When the net is full, they drag it up onto the shore, sit down, sort the good fish into crates, and throw the bad ones away. 49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the godly, 50 throwing the wicked into the fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 Do you understand?" "Yes," they said, "we do." 52 Then he added, "Every teacher of religious law who has become a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a person who brings out of the storehouse the new teachings as well as the old."
53 When Jesus had finished telling these stories, he left that part of the country. 54 He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was astonished and said, "Where does he get his wisdom and his miracles? 55 He's just a carpenter's son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers – James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. 56 All his sisters live right here among us. What makes him so great?" 57 And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family." 58 And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.
FOOTNOTES:F73: Isa 6:9-10. F74: Greek 3 measures. F75: Ps 78:2.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation,copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.