Clergy/Leaders’ Mail-list No. 3-011 (Devotional)

THE GOOD SOIL

by Peter Kennedy

“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.” – Mark 4:20

In the autumn of the year 1898, John H. Nicholson of Janesville, Wisconsin, came to the Central Hotel at Boscobel, Wisconsin, for the night. The hotel was crowded, it was suggested that he take a bed in a double room with Samuel E. Hill of Beloit, Wisconsin. The two men soon discovered that both were Christians, and that John Nicholson, as a 12-year-old boy, had promised his dying mother that he would read God’s Word and pray daily. It had been his custom for many years to read the Bible before retiring for the night. They had their evening devotions together, and on their knees before God the thoughts were given which later developed into an association.

On May 31, 1899, Nicholson and Hill met at Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, concluded to band Christian commercial travelers together for mutual recognition, personal evangelism, and united service for the Lord. They decided to call a meeting in Janesville, Wisconsin on July 1, 1899, in the Y.M.C.A. Only three men showed up at that meeting: Nicholson, Hill, and Will J. Knights. But from that humble beginning, The Gideons International was created. Today, there are over 140,000 members, located in 175 countries. Annually, members of The Gideons distribute 56 million copies of the Scriptures.

The Lord calls us to respond to His Word and when we do, He will make our lives fruitful beyond our wildest dreams. Today in prayer, ask the Lord to give you an attentive heart and then seek to follow His will in all that you do.

“The whole story thus becomes a parable about the learner’s responsibility, and about the importance of learning with one’s whole will and obedience, and not merely with one’s head.” – Charles F.D. Moule

God’s Word: “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” – Luke 8:15

DEVOTIONS IN MARK

by Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2003, Devotional E-Mail

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