Cares of Life

The front yard held more weeds than grass. The lawn struggled to survive as the weeds choked out what little grass remained. It looked like a hopeless cause. However, determined to give the grass a chance before starting over with a new lawn, I started pulling the weeds out of my friend’s yard, one at a time. It took a while; however, the intruders pulled out easily since their root structures proved shallow. Under the weeds, the grass was there. Once exposed to the sun and rain, it once again thrived, and the lawn quickly improved.

Over the last couple weeks, we have been diving into the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-8). “Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: ‘Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.’”

Jesus tells us the meaning of the parable in Matthew 13:18-23. In verse 22, He explains the seed choked by thorns. “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”

Just like the grass in my friend’s yard, are there areas in our lives that choke out the Truth of God’s Word? Are we allowing the cares of this life to thwart growth in our relationship with God? The cares disguise themselves and often are the very things we need to care for ourselves and our family. However, they tend to take over and raise themselves to a higher level of importance than they deserve.

Just as Jesus used Scripture when the tempter came to him, we also keep proper perspective by speaking the words from Matthew 4:4, “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”” Our top priority is to the Word of God. As we keep Truth before us, we focus on the right things and how to live life in accordance with God’s plan for us. The cares of life are important; however, they should never replace relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Whatever chokes out the study of God’s Word needs to be reprioritized in our lives. As Jesus said in explanation of the parable, one who allows the cares of life and the deceitfulness of riches to take top priority becomes unfruitful. We may buy into lies of the enemy that we will be more successful, richer, established. However, Scriptures tells us that we will not produce a harvest if we allow the thorns to choke out His Word.

Are there any thorns growing in your life? Is it time to start weeding?