Reading your Bible for today September 17

September 17: Matthew 13:10-16

KJV Key Verse: Matthew 13:15
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Devotion:
Do you hate it when people talk ‘Christianese’ at you? It is not going to help anyone understand God if Christians talk in their own code or language. I Know the Jews would do that during the war to prevent the Germans from knowing who were Jews and who was not, but when we are trying to talk to others about Christ, we need to be able to speak to them in a way they will get the big picture!

It is not our job to forgive them. It is not our job to take away their sins. That belongs to Christ because He is the one who willingly gave His life on the cross instead of us having to pay for our sins with our own deaths. What Christ has asked us to do is to take the message about the gospel to other people who have not heard it yet; the Holy Spirit will then give them the understanding they need when they are willing to listen and see.

The concept of free choice was nothing new but Jesus made sure we would understand it properly by making sure the disciples themselves knew exactly what He was saying. So, how do we go about giving people the best chance at understanding the truth and getting to know Christ? Asking questions is always a good way of finding out what we need to know when we don’t quite get it. If we don’t ask the questions, how are we going to find out the truth?

Have you ever noticed the worst teachers were normally the ones who just stood up and spoke at you, but the better teachers would get you involved with the talk and even got you to ask questions! When we tell people about Christ, we should not be talking at them and throwing all our latest Christian sayings at them – there is nothing better to turn them off than that sort of attitude. Getting them involved with what you are saying and giving them the chance to ask questions is much better…

Points to Ponder:
Do you like people talking at you or to you?

How often do you ask questions about God?