i was reading the parable of the farmer sowing seeds. i was invited to look at these verses with new eyes...
"...the seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced..." matthew 13:22
oh my. that is me.
but aren't we the seeds on the good soil? those verses say that we hear and understand God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times what was planted. (vs.23)
worries of this life...no money, illness, family and marriage issues, friendships, disasters, politics, etc etc etc...keep us from God. keep us from trusting. clutter our mind with what ifs...
the lure of wealth...wanting more money, feeling like we need more money, worry about having enough and saving enough...these things diminish our focus and faith on God. we can handle this. we need to save more, work more, get a better job, get more schooling...
if my mind is tied up in worries and wealth, then where is my heart? i'm so busy choking, there's no way i can grow and produce...in my faith. in my trust. in my love for God and others.
worries plus wealth equal no fruit. NO FRUIT.
i'm trying now to prepare my fields. it's time to plant. it's time to harvest.
no more thorns.
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6 comments:
AMEN.
Just reading about how your Spirit has been awakened (on here and on Kim's blog) makes me think that God is already producing fruit in your life (or that your response to what you have read is the production of fruit in the lives of people who have prayed for you).
God is working on something big around here and I can feel it...
(Perhaps more on this in person later...)
Awesome insight!! Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to get in His word!!!
I can feel it, too, Becky! Watching the literature that has come out in the past few years, different authors all saying really similar, really radical things about commitment to Christ and embracing the Holy Spirit, it makes me wonder if God is preparing His church for some kind of awakening...
If so, all I can say is, not a moment too soon!
Oh, and btw, I also find it really cool that the Spirit is convicting us both of similar things. You should take a look at January 19 on my Bible blog. I had that exact same, "Oh wow, I'm the thorny soil" reaction to that parable. It was the first time for me, too:). That's kind of cool...
I just read that chapter in Crazy Love and realized that is ME, too. If fact, lately, I have been considering getting a job to help increase the college fund and to build the retirement nest. Hmmmm....maybe I need to be focused on eternal things and trust God to provide. However, I wrestle with this because I feel it is our responsibility to be READY for our kids college and our retirement. What a strange bunch of thorns to be tangled up in. I'm sure this was not on Jesus' mind during HIS time on this earth.
it is a hard thing, i think, because i believe the bible also teaches us to be responsible stewards of what we've been blessed with and tells us to care for our families. i have to believe that (actually, i KNOW i believe that) my current teaching position IS a blessing from God from the circumstances that led me to it and to where i am right now. i think God would not want this concern to consume your mind or worry you to the point of losing your focus on Him and your faith in what He can do. and i do know that He knows our needs and He also wants to hear from us...so pray that He leads you and you hear His voice. get rid of the worry that would drown that out! :o)
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