Monday 31 Jul 2023

July 31: Matthew 13:31-35

Key Verse: Matthew 13:34
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.

Devotion:
Sometimes the best way to reach someone is to tell them a story which they can relate to identifying the content you wish them to hear. Jesus knew if He stood there and recounted the scriptures the people would soon stop listening because they had probably had that done to them over and over again. Instead He told them stories which would make them think about God’s Word in new ways.

I don’t know if you have ever been able to watch how bread is made in a factory or bakery; they do not work in terms of cups and teaspoons but in bucket loads and sacks of flour. But the principle remains the same, the yeast is activated in some manner and then has to be mixed all throughout the flour mixture in order for the dough to raise in a uniform manner.

We can think of God’s Word in this same manner. The flour is useless by itself because it will not rise and become a fluffy loaf of bread without the yeast and other ingredients. I have made the mistake of putting all the ingredients into the bread machine and forgetting the yeast… what comes out is more akin to a brick than a loaf of bread!

Jesus tries new ways of talking to people so they would listen and think about what was being said. If we want to reach other people with the Gospel then introducing them to it in new ways which will make them think about the words is always going to help!

Points to Ponder:
Do you get bored in church sometimes?

How would you make things more interesting for others?