A WORD FOR TODAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2022

*A WORD FOR TODAY*

*MAKE YOUR HEART FERTILE FOR GOD'S WORD TO GROW*

_"And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold. As he said this, he called out, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”(Luke 8:7-8)_

*BEAUTIFUL PARABLE*

_*The parable of the sower is one that always reminds us of the need to guard our hearts against everything that may become an obstacle for us bearing fruits for Christ or stop God's word from taking root in us.*_

*YOUR HEART CAN BEAR FRUITS*

_Jesus told the parable and explained it to His disciples so that they will know that every heart is prepared from the very beginning to bear fruits, but if you do not guard your heart well against the things that will attack Gods word in it, you may end up not bearing any fruit for God._

*GOD IS THE SOWER, OUR HEART IS THE SOIL*

_*The sower of the seed is God, the seed is the word of God and the soil where the seeds are sown is the heart of man. The devil attacks the word from taking root in us, because if it does we will forever remain faithful to God. The cares, riches snd pleasures of this life also attack the word from taking root in us. If we love the world and all it offers more than God Himself, His word will never bear any fruit in us.*_

*PREPARE YOUR HEART WELL TO BEAR FRUITS*

_In this parable we see that seeds are sown regularly, but if the heart is not properly prepared and disposed to welcome it, the seed may end up not germinating and it will not bear any fruit._

*YOU TOO CAN BEAR FRUITS*

_*Every heart that is well prepared can bear fruits, we may not bear in the same degree, but we can bear according to our capacity and that is all that matters and that will help us to become a shining example to others who look up to us.*_

*SEEK GODLY THINGS ALWAYS*

_If we are to bear lasting fruits for God and for our heart to be a fertile soil, we must seek Godly and heavenly things and disconnect from the things of the world. Selfishness, greed, impatience and unguarded quest for material acquisition should never be found in us. All these are enemies of the word and they are birds, temptations, thorns and cares of life that strive to make us become fruitless for God in the spiritual sense._

*VALUE GOD'S WORD*

_*We are called today to place a value on God's word. We must make our hearts to be receptive to God's word. When we nourish our hearts with His word, we will have the capacity to bear fruits that will last. Bearing fruit is our calling and if God's word takes root in us, we will definitely bear fruits in plenty, in kindness, joy, peace, compassion, care, love, patience, perseverance, faithfulness, honesty and sincerity. The quality of the fruits you bear will be determined by the quality of your heart and how receptive it is to God's word sown in it.*_

_Good morning dearest one. Smile😊as you do your work and do have a lovely weekend. May God's word nourish your heart and help you to bear good fruits. Amen. *And may the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.*_

*Meditation:* 1 Corinthians 15:35-37,42-49/Psalm 56:10-14/Luke 8:4-15

*Watch-Word:* He who has ears to hear, let him hear

*God's word is rich and it saves, accept it today and you will bear fruits in plenty for Him.*

(Saturday of the twenty-fourth week in the ordinary time. Year II)

*© Rev. Fr. Augustine Eleke*