“The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns
is the man who hears the word, but the worries of
this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke
it, making it unfruitful.”
(Matthew 13:22)
Thoughts… Nothing is more damaging to your relationship with God and the spiritual fruitfulness he longs to give you than the “worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth” that constantly and loudly demand your attention. Jesus called them thorns, warning that they will grow up and choke out the fruit-producing seed of God’s Word.
What are the worries of life for you? Making the mortgage payment on a home you can barely afford—or can’t really afford. Paying for that high-end car, or two, that in all honesty is in your garage simply to massage your ego. Keeping your kids in that prestigious university, make sure your retirement account is getting fatter, staying awake at night worrying about the stock market, plotting the next move to outpace the “Joneses” …
Be honest—you’ve got worries, so do I. You’re caught up in the wealth trap, so am I. You’re in the rat race—I can feel it even as you read this line. So am I! I fight the same addiction to money, things, pleasure and power that you do.
Whether we like to admit it or not, the “thorns” that Jesus warned about are competing for our soil with the values of God’s Kingdom. And guess what, you and I are the only ones who can weed them out.
Oh, God will strengthen you and give you discernment to deal with them, but you are the one who will have to do a little self-weeding.
Listen—it is time to quit talking about this and start weeding. You know intuitively that I am spot on about this. The growth and fruitfulness of the Kingdom of God in your life, and in your family, is riding on you being bold enough and wise enough to start pulling and chucking those weeds right out of your life.
I will pray for you … I hope you will pray for me.
Happy gardening!
Prayer… Father, I desire your Kingdom to fully come in my life. Yet I must confess that the desire for the things of this world have a strong pull on me. Strengthen me with boldness and wisdom for the self-weeding that must be done in me.
One More Thing… “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.” — C.S. Lewis
I’m praying in agreement with your prayer – for me, for you, for the people of VCC and for Christians everywhere. I also love the C.S. Lewis quote – he’s right on!
I find the last verse of this chapter sticking in my brain…”and he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith”. May that never be said of us as a church or of us as individuals. Lord – increase our faith and forgive our unbelief.
Faith always looks heavenward, sees the invisible, embraces the impossible, and experiences the eternal; doubt always looks inward, sees self, and ends up distracted, discouraged, and defeated by the cares of life.
God bless you and watch over you, God make HIS face shine upon, God be gracious to you and give you PEACE and abundant needs less you strike your feet against a stone. To all others, i have been a scammer and have depended on the deceitful wealth i get from others. This has touched my life. It has changed me and now i see a new face of life. Could seem difficult but i know until i know that i know that i know that i shall make it in JESUS NAME.