Most of us have probably seen this logo before and if you have had the experience of tasting their ice cream you will remember it. As I looked at this logo again (I have had it for quite awhile now) it occurred to me that there is a message within a message here. The "BR" actually contains within it a message that they have 31 flavors of ice cream; something they are famous for. Clever advertising, very clever!!! Life is a lot like this logo. We all exist in a specific time and place and see the world around us, but we don't all perceive the creator in the things we see and do. Its like that for the word of God as well, as Jesus teaches in this wonderful passage from the book of Matthew...
WEB: Matthew Chapter 13
[1] On that day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside. [2] Great multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat, and sat, and all the multitude stood on the beach. [3] He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, "“Behold, a farmer went out to sow. [4] As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them. [5] Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn’t have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. [6] When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away. [7] Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them. [8] Others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. [9] He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”"
[10] The disciples came, and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
[11] He answered them, "“To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them. [12] For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance, but whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he has. [13] Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand. [14] In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says,
‘By hearing you will hear,
and will in no way understand;
Seeing you will see,
and will in no way perceive:
[15] for this people’s heart has grown callous,
their ears are dull of hearing,
they have closed their eyes;
or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and should turn again;
and I would heal them.’
[16] “But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. [17] For most certainly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them.
[18] “Hear, then, the parable of the farmer. [19] When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside. [20] What was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it; [21] yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. [22] What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. [23] What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who most certainly bears fruit, and brings forth, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.”"
Those of you who know me well have heard me say this quite a number of times... "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him eat pizza". By this I mean that although you may teach someone what you understand to be truth, they may never accept it, no matter how hard you try... so deal with it. Jesus says something like this in the above passage. Some people won't get it at all, others will get it for awhile and other really get it and become really productive for God. It all depends on the openness of their heart. The message within the message is determined by who you really are on the inside and its my hope for everyone who reads this that you are at least 31 times productive in the kingdom of God. The world needs it far more than it needs ice cream, even if there are 31 flavors!!!!