TREASURE SEED SERIES - 5

And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up. [Matthew 13:4]


What is my reaction to God's word?

•-- Do I take it for granted?

•-- Do I follow up divine revelations or inspirations?

•-- Do I lack understanding of deep things?

•-- Do I cast the precious pearls of the word before the swine? Maybe I don't accord the pearl the worth that it demands, I don't attach the necessary weights that God Himself attaches to it, I just go about discussing it with my mouth (my MOUTH is one "wayside" too many).

As The Lord sows treasures into my life, it says "some seeds" fell by the wayside. Thank God it's not ALL seeds, but some.

My concern and determination is to make sure that:

1. My wayside is well cultivated, and the ground is good enough for both GERMINATION and FRUITFULNESS when the Lord decides to sow into my wayside.

It is not a mistake that some seeds fell by the wayside as some Bible Scholars and Bible Teachers suggest, no, it is very deliberate. In fact, it is part of the sowing exercise. I am careful to note that the same language and expression of scripture used for the wayside: "... some [seeds] fell...", that same expression is used in verses 4, 5, 7 & 8 for the other ground types. Therefore, that the seeds fell on the wayside was not a mistake, but a deliberate action by the Sower. The Sower expects that all the regions, all the locations of my life MUST become fruitful, even that location which is so easily accessible to the fowls, i.e. my WAYSIDE, which is my region of acute devotion, fellowship, communion and love for God’s word. The WAYSIDE, which is so easily neglected by many today, must also be fruitful. I must allow NO treasure of God’s word to pass me by, without soaking it in to bear fruit in my life.


2. I must love His word, and in love, seek the word out. I must search the word out, not from experience, neither from a dictionary of English Language, nor from passed down meanings or references of our fathers gone by. Rather, I must search the word from the quiet revelations of the Holy Spirit Himself, as my soul waits at ease in the presence of the Lord.


I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out. (Job 29:16b).


"...the fowls came... devoured them"

The fowls... Hmmm, not the snakes, not the robbers, not the lions, not the hurricanes...but the FOWLS.

The fowls look very harmless, in fact, men even rear fowls in their houses. When the fowls are around, we believe that there are lots of benefits we derive from them. We could derive nutrients from them by eating them, we could get eggs from them, we could use their oil, or fertilize our plants with their droppings... and UNSUSPECTINGLY, we allow the fowls to graze our vineyards, in which The Lord has sown goodly pearls.

If snakes, rodents or wild animals were the ones that patrolled our waysides, we would have watched with most care. But no, its not the harmful, wild and dangerous animals that want to destroy and cart valuables away. It’s not the foxes, the little foxes that want to destroy our tender plants, its the subtle, harmless, friendly, beneficial fowls that the enemy uses to dry up and leak out God's grace in our lives, and eventually make it a desert land.

What is that normal, harmless thing in my life, though sinless, but erodes my communion and privacy with God?

What is that beneficial thing that increases my riches in worldly affluence, but its a grazer on my field of grace?

What seemingly spiritual exercise has replaced my Quiet Time of feasting and learning at the table of The Lord? Is it some demanding church activities, some visitations, watching of Christian films? Is it the prolonged, concurrent church planning meetings where prayers and spontaneous Divine leading have been replaced and substituted with methods, suggestions and experience?

Fowls are not the loud, disturbing, grunting animals like pigs, they don't bark like dogs,. They are not dirty, nauseating animals like pigs, they are not destructive like grasshoppers or rodents, they are not fearful like cats, neither are they harmful like snakes. They are silent and welcoming (warm), they don't even appear to be there when they are, YET, they are those whom The Lord is warning me to be careful of, and watch against.

Have I substituted my personal time with the Lord in exchange for preparing messages for others? Have I replaced the time for personal meditation and digging deep alone with God, with some demanding church meetings? Has the so-called work of God become the unsuspecting fowls that I have allowed to grace my vineyard, and have eroded my inner man of God’s priceless grace? The seemingly harmless visitations, the Christian films that have taken up my time of meditations, or it could be the family demands, the demands of secular assignments that have become the beneficial fowls that have drained my relationship with God.

How about the little punctures, the tiny holes that have perforated my inner man? That inner depth which I used to enjoy by reason of my much “staying” on every word and verse of Scriptures, have they not all been eroded? Now, I pride myself in reading several chapters at a stretch, while I have omitted the weightier matters of meditation and depth. I skim over the word without extracting much treasure bound up within so that I can quickly cover much grounds. I have become too consumed about finishing the whole Bible several times in a year than I am to getting blessed by it. The pride of knowledge has taken up the space that God’s word should contain in my heart. Scripture has become a story book to me, a religious magazine, and my soul is empty, my words are light. My mannerisms and approach to divine truths has suddenly become the subtle fowl, appearing spiritual, but the reality of my field (the seed) has been perforated, unable to bear fruit again.

Help me, O Lord!!!


"...came, ...devoured them up"

These fowls are actually wolves in sheep's clothing. Fowls are generally not devourers, they just pick things with their small beaks, but here The Bible says they devoured them up.

Many things I think do not matter are actually devourers, they are little foxes, insignificant, but great destroyers.

O my soul, be careful of DEVOURING FOWLS in your walk with God, the dainties which appear as garnishments and decorators, but inwardly are ravening wolves. Friends they are in your daily communions, but foes they are in action, they are beautiful in appearance, but poisonous in operation, quiet in utterance but the poison of asps is under their lips. My Soul, be careful of OLD PROPHETS who come with stale messages to win your heart, but their intention is to dig your grave.

It is better to have no friend than to have an old prophet as one.

WATCH AND PRAY lest you fall into the snare of the DEVOURING FOWLS... Selah