Mark 4:18-19, “Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the Word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
People of God, we have heard many sermons, we have read many Scriptures but has God’s Word given birth to fruit in your life? If God’s Word is not fruitful, let us be truthful – the problem is not with it, the problem is with you, or to be more specific, the problem is within you because the evidence God’s Word lives in us is the way we live and the weight we carry. The weight of responsibility keeps us up; the weight of sin ties us down.
What could choke the fruitfulness of God’s Word in our lives? When Jesus Christ explained the Parable of the Sower, in Mark 4, He highlighted three common issues that stifle fruitfulness: the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things. These three issues all stem from being too attached to a world we are meant to walk through as strangers and pilgrims (Hebrews 11:13).
Are you easily worried, deceived and distracted? When the cares and worries of this world dominate your heart, you have occupied a position that is meant for God alone who calls us to a life of stewardship, not ownership. And when you are defined by wealth you will soon be defiled by it because the pursuit of it will compromise your faith in God. As a Christian, you are meant to rule over your desires, not be ruled by them.
When you form an unhealthy attachment to this world, you will be disturbed by worry, deceived by wealth, distracted by wants, and all of this will choke the fruitfulness of God’s Word in your heart and life. What is the way out? To overcome the temptations of earthly attachment, we must maintain an eternal perspective with a heart set on pilgrimage, not on pretentious worldly pursuits. A healthy attachment in this world must be in reference to God, not in comparison with God or in replacement of God. So allow your heart to be Word ruled, not world ruled and give God His proper position in your life as the Shepherd of your soul and the Lord of your life.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, let Your Word abide in me and me in it. Help me to humbly accept God’s Word that can save me and produce the fruit of righteousness in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.