Dry dock—a large dock filled with water where a ship can sail into but after the water is pumped out, the ship settles on a drydock.
Are you in the Word daily? We all live such busy lives that it makes it hard to read the Bible every day. But we need to try our best to do just that. If we do not keep in the Word regularly, we will begin to dry up spiritually. All the water will be pumped from around us until we are no longer floating above our problems but are knee-deep in the mud with them! We need to be in His Word so that we can lead others to Him. We need to be prepared for all circumstances.
In Mark 4:1–20 (NIV), the parable of the sower shows us that if we do not take in the Word and continue to take it in, Satan will come and steal away everything that we have read, and we will forget it all.
Verse 15: Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
Hearing the Word and reading the Word go hand in hand. You cannot just go by what you hear, you have to test what you’ve heard by staying in the Word. That way, you will not be led astray. There are many false prophets in the world. We must be knowledgeable in God’s Word, so that we can recognize the enemy and fight back with authority.
Verse 17: But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
We all have troubles in life, but we cannot let those troubles keep us from the Word. We can find strength in God’s Word. It will help sustain us and give us a sense of purpose.
Verses 18–19: Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Busy, busy, busy. Always going, always working, always worrying. We can’t get too busy and lose sight of the importance of staying in the Word. Even if you read just a short passage each day, you are feeding on the Word. God will use anything that we read from His Word to further His kingdom.
We should all strive to be like the good soil.
Verse 20: Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.
We need to strive to produce a huge crop for Christ. Let’s not let our spiritual walk become a drydock. Staying in the Word and meditating on it will help us to have the courage to step out and help lead others to Christ.
So, do your best to stay in the Word on a daily basis. Keep yourself spiritually hydrated and keep growing for the Lord!
Debbie Mitchell