Daily Devotion

Voice: Hali

Today is the 19th of May, Tuesday. Let’s gather our scattered thoughts and be still in His presence.

We pray:

Almighty and everlasting Father,
we thank you that you have brought us safely
to the beginning of this day.
Keep us from falling into sin or running into danger;
order us in all our doings;
and guide us to do always what is right in your eyes:
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

---

Psalm 98

Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
    for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
    have worked salvation for him.
² The Lord has made known his salvation;
    he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
³ He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
    to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
    the salvation of our God.

⁴ Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
    break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
⁵ Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
    with the lyre and the sound of melody!
⁶ With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

⁷ Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
    the world and those who dwell in it!
⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands;
    let the hills sing for joy together
⁹ before the Lord, for he comes
    to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
    and the peoples with equity.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.

---

Luke 8:4-15

⁴And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, ⁵“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. ⁶And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. ⁸And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

⁹And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, ¹⁰he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ ¹¹Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ¹²The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. ¹⁴And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. ¹⁵As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

---

Tending the Soil of your Heart

We often read the parable of the sower as a lesson about evangelism—the spread of the gospel and the different responses of new believers.

But what if this parable also speaks to every Christian’s lifelong journey of faith? What if, within each of us, there are all four types of soil—areas where God’s Word bears fruit, and other places where our hearts are still hardened, shallow, or distracted?

In every season of life, the Word is continually being sown into us. In some places, it does not take root at all—sliding off our hearts like water off a duck’s back. In other areas, the seed lands on rocky ground; it sprouts quickly, but trials and difficulties soon wither it away.

Still in other areas, the Word falls among thorns, where worries, anxieties, and the cares of life choke out its growth. Yet, in some places, God’s Word has long been firmly established in us. There, we see steady fruitfulness and consistent obedience.

This is not the usual way we apply the parable, but it reminds us how relevant it is throughout our Christian walk. Let this parable speak to us constantly. Do not relegate it to just the beginnings. \

The Christian life is not merely about receiving the seed—it is about tending the soil. Nurturing good soil calls for perseverance—remaining in the Word, prayer, and the life of the Church.

Breaking up hard ground may require repentance, or simply a willingness to listen afresh. Removing stones often involves allowing trials to deepen us rather than harden us. Pulling weeds and thorns may mean making difficult choices about what we allow to dominate our attention and affections.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to be a good gardener of your heart. Will you let the vegetables, fruits and flowers grow? They speak of the great potential in your life.

Perhaps the most searching aspect of your reflection is this: Where, right now, is the Word being resisted in me?

That question keeps the parable alive. It prevents it from becoming a familiar story consigned to the past, and instead turns it into a mirror we must look at from time to time.

Lord,
Sow Your Word deeply into my heart.
Break up what is hardened,
deepen what is shallow,
clear what is crowded,
and strengthen what is fruitful.
Make me, in every part, good soil for Your kingdom.
Amen.

---

Be blessed by The Summons by John Bell. This is a song written by the Iona Community and release in 1987. I was privileged recently to visit this beautiful and sacred island of Iona in Scotland.

Will you come and follow me
If I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know
And never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown,
Will you let my name be known,
Will you let my life be grown
In you and you in me?

Will you leave yourself behind
If I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind
And never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare
Should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer
In you and you in me?

Will you let the blinded see
If I but call your name?
Will you set the prisoners free
And never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean,
And do such as this unseen,
And admit to what I mean
In you and you in me?

Will you love the ‘you’ you hide
If I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside
And never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found
To reshape the world around,
Through my sight and touch and sound
In you and you in me?

Lord, your summons echoes true
When you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you
And never be the same.
In your company I’ll go
Where your love and footsteps show.
Thus I’ll move and live and grow
In you and you in me.

Copyright: 

Words: 1987 WGRG, Iona Community, Glasgow, Scotland, G2 3DH (Admin. by Wild Goose Resource Group), Music: David Peacock – The Jubilate Group (Admin. by Hope Publishing Company)

Link to full Morning Office