Revive Your Life!

Copyright © 2011 George Kahl

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-1858-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-1857-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-1856-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011930636

Printed in the United States of America

WestBow Press rev. date: 6/17/2011

For my lovely wife Jenny,

who radiates the

loving and self-sacrificing

spirit of Christ.

Contents

1. Are You for Real?

2. God Cares For You

3. Upgraded

4. LAMP of Scripture

5. Glorify God

6. Star Light, Star Bright

7. The Beginning of Wisdom

8. Removing the Veil

9. Ant Wisdom

10. The Wise Connection

11. Filter of Wisdom

12. How Do We Live?

13. A Better Life

14. The Most High

1

Are You for Real?

During the gold rush, many pioneers were fooled by something that looked liked gold but was not. They worked hard at mining this mineral, pyrite, only to be told that it was fool’s gold and not worth anything. Several of these gold diggers gave up and abandoned their mines after hearing such news. That’s too bad. Research tells us that real gold is usually not too far from pyrite deposits. After these disillusioned forty-niners abandoned their mines, other gold seekers came along after them and found real gold.

This story could be told of many who have attempted to follow Christ using their own power. Something attracts them, whether it is the programs of a church, the family atmosphere, or the joy that true Christians possess. So what do they do? They try so hard to be a Christian by working, hoping to strike the mother load. We will come back to this story of life, but let me ask: Have you found a real faith in Christ? Or is yours fool’s gold? Do you know? The first part of this book will be a study on the new life found in Christ. What you truly desire must first start with a new life in Christ. To begin we will be looking at the parable of the soils spoken by Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23.

Matthew 13:3-9 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Matthew 13:18-23 Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

To ensure that you have LIFE, prepare the soil of your soul. Examine your heart and life to see what best describes you in the paragraphs to follow. If you find that your faith isn’t truly founded in Christ, know that this can be changed. So, please, as you read give honest criticism of where you are so that you can move to where you want, and need, to be.

The Lifeless Soil

Matthew 13:4, 19 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.

The first seed that Jesus spoke of was that which fell by the wayside. Think of the farmer gathering seeds together in order to go plant. Not that long ago, when my grandfather was farming, seed would be piled into wagons that were not airtight. The farmer had an abundance of seed, and as he made his way to the field some seed couldn’t help but fall through the cracks or from the top of the pile. Even in modern times this happens. I live in a rural area where farmers have to travel down the main road with their tractors and equipment in order to get to their fields. Inevitably, there is seed left along the road in the spring. These are seeds that fell by the wayside.

Seeds that fall by the wayside become food for the birds and other critters, or it is washed away. The ground that this seed falls on offers no protection or nutrition for growth. The seed just lies in the open until something else takes it away. Jesus compared this to the person who hears the gospel but does not understand it or have any interest in it. According to Christ, the wicked one, Satan, snatches the seed away.

Notice from where the seed was snatched – the heart. Every time the gospel is spoken, it is spoken to the heart. When a farmer sows seed, where does he sow it? Even when he loses some seed on the way to the field, where does it land? It does not end up on the roof of his house or in the boat five miles away, nor does it begin to levitate in the air– it ends up on the ground, just not in the prepared soil. Do not look at this verse and say, Oh, salvation was sown in the heart and lost. The gospel is always spoken to the heart, even when the heart is like the wayside that offers no protection or nutrition for the seed to grow. The heart is either prepared to receive the seed, or it isn’t.

Unfortunately, most of the world is like this soil. They hear the gospel, but it means nothing to them. They don’t care one way or the other, or they become angry because the things of God do not make sense to them – hence the one who does not understand. I’ve spoken to people before about Christ, only to see them become angry. Why? The ones I’ve spoken to cannot pinpoint why either, except that they cannot understand or reconcile the gospel message with what their eyes and human reason tell them. They cannot come to terms with the fact that we live in a fallen and sinful world because of our sin, not because of something God did.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

Satan blinds people to the truth, taking away the seed of the gospel. Just because a seed hits the ground does not mean it will grow. Are you someone who rolls their eyes when the gospel is preached? Are you one who shies away from talking about the work of Christ because you do not understand it? Does it matter one way or the other? If not, check your heart. Jesus Christ loves you beyond belief and wants to give you life.

For those of you reading this who know Christ as your Savior, take note of the fact that the gospel was spread even in places where it would be wasted. We are to scatter the seed to every person. Whether the seed of the gospel transforms the heart is not our concern. We are not to use our limited sight to judge who and where to withhold the seed from. Our concern is to get it there, and then allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest.

Romans 10:20-21 But Isaiah is very bold and says: I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me. But to Israel He says: All day long I have stretched out My hands To a disobedient and contrary people.

Through the prophet Isaiah God delivered this message of love and patience. God is at work in the hearts of men and women in this sinful world we live in. The gospel can blossom and save those who do not appear to be in want of it, and it can be wasted seed on those who appear like they would make good Christians. Our job is to sow the seed everywhere and allow God to do the rest.

The Impenetrable Soil

Matthew 13:5-6 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.

Matthew 13:20-21 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

The next soil that Jesus mentioned was the stony places. This ground is also unprepared. I know enough about farming from my father and grandfather to know that stones are removed from where the crop will be planted. If my grandfather found a patch of ground full of rocks, they brought over the tractor and a wagon and removed the rocks. If they wouldn’t have done this, then the seeds planted there would have died, just like Jesus said they would.

If you have ever walked on cliffs or in the mountains, you may remember seeing a plant that sprouted and grew quickly on a rock. The roots are plainly visible and cover the rock. Sometimes you might see the remains of the roots on rocks, but no plant. The plant wilts and dies without a place for the roots to penetrate.

And, like Christ said, there are people like that in the world…and in churches. These people hear the gospel and say, Hey, that’s what I need! They are excited and passionate. They seem to be interested in the Lord…until they face adversity. Then, they are done with God and church. Does this point to someone who was saved and then lost? No. The heart was hard, like a stone. The roots never penetrated.

The false faith that springs up out of emotion is like the person who is happy and content as long as things are going their way. But as soon as opposition comes to test their faith, they abandon it and run away. Is that what a person of faith is like? Does a person of faith abandon Christ because of persecution and trials? If you cannot endure, then how can you say you know Christ? Is a truly repentant heart ever going to renounce Christ, the One who has made eternal life possible?

When the Roman emperor Valens threatened Eusebius with confiscation of all his goods, torture, banishment, or even death, the courageous Christian replied, He needs not fear confiscation, who has nothing to lose; nor banishment, to whom heaven is his country; nor torments, when his body can be destroyed at one blow; nor death, which is the only way to set him free from sin and sorrow.

Matthew 10:22 tells us that we will be hated above all men. It says, And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. We will be persecuted and our faith will be tested. Those who understand the gospel and have real faith will endure; they will not renounce their faith in Christ. Faith is proven through endurance. Jesus also says in Matthew 10:33, But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Anyone that gives up their faith because trials and/or persecution are too hard falls into the category of rocky ground.

I have heard reports that church attendance in the United States was cut in half in the past three years. This period of time coincided with some desperate financial times for our nation. Unemployment was up, debt was up, bankruptcies were up, and so on. People were losing hope, not able to see a way out by their own hands. These past several years have been times of trial for many. And we have seen these trials cause approximately half of those who were attending church