Friday, June 27, 2025

Let Nothing Mean More to Us Than You!

 Parables. Jesus told stories to make things easier for us to relate to. He wanted us to think deeply about the things He left for us to study. Not a single word spoken by Jesus that has been recorded by man through the Holy Spirit's guidance, can be counted unimportant. We are to STUDY to show ourselves approved to God, workmen that aren't ashamed, that rightly divide the word of truth.  (2Ti 2:15) 


One particular parable, or rather the understanding Jesus gave, has been on my heart recently. It's found in Luke 8:11-15. And it talks about the Sower (Jesus) and the Seed ( The Word of God). In the parable before the understanding is giving, the Sower (Jesus) is going about sowing the Seed (Word of God) and His words, those seeds are falling in places where they can't flourish, all except in one instance.


Luk 8:11  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 

Luk 8:12  Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 

Luk 8:13  They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 

Luk 8:14  And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 

Luk 8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. 


All people are given a chance to hear God's truth, His Word. And there are going to be reactions from people from what they hear.


The devil will come and take away the Word of God out of the hearts of some people. The devil doesn't want those people to believe and be saved.


Temptations come to others and those temptations take precedence over continuing to believe in God's truth, even if, when it's first heard they are joyful over what they hear. They go on after hearing, very happily believing the truth and then … because their roots are not deep, they fall to their temptations no longer believing the truth, the Word of God.


Another group of people hear the truth and as time goes on, even as they believe, they are choked with CARES, they are choked with RICHES, they are choked with PLEASURES OF THIS LIFE- and they will bear no mature fruit.  


What choked this last group of people? Cares. We understand how easy it is to worry about everything and anything. In fact we find it odd when people do not worry. We call them uncaring for lack of worrying because the worrying dictates the extent of their caring. Lies. 


Satan would have us so wrapped up in our cares, that we do not trust Christ COMPLETELY. Satan loves when we only trust Jesus a little bit, but not in EVERYTHING. 


Satan is so happy when we pick only things important to us to worry about. 


Satan is just as happy for us to NOT sweat all the small stuff, but perhaps pick just ONE particular care to worry about. We can be CHOKED by ONE care, or thousands, the result is the same- our walk with Christ will not be completed, it will not produce mature fruit and therefore it's no good.


Next.

What else chokes the last group of people? RICHES. 

MONEY! MONEY! MONEY! 

These people have money in their hearts so deeply they cannot go on to be complete in Christ. They are choked by their thoughts and actions concerning money. Whether it's never having enough to feel secure, or having enough but hoarding it, or any other obsession with it. Being so poor you believe that if only you had enough money that all your problems will be over, is just as bad has hoarding any money.


MONEY chokes the Word of God right out of people! They can't believe the Truth, that Jesus is ALL things and God will take care of them even in their destitute lives if need be. Being without money terrifies people so much they no longer live as Jesus would have them live- selflessly.  They know it's a real possibility without money they will die because money buys sustenance, medications, shelter, clothing etc. So yes. A whole class of people will give up the Word of God because of MONEY. RICHES will concern them more. They lack the faith they need to have in God's truth to supply their needs, even if that need is a life of pure destitution. The very poor, are not cautionary tales of those with a Godless life. They are not symbols of God's abandoning them. Their walk, the trials that they must face in life are perhaps different than those you face. They, like the man born blind- may be poor because it will reveal the hearts of those who are not poor.


Now this LAST group of people who are going to bring NO completion to their walk with God (bearing no fruit) are a group that I have been thinking about for a bit now, and caused my need to write this. 


These people are choked by PLEASURES OF THIS LIFE.

Take a moment to consider that, please. 


Pleasures of life. 


Anything we find pleasurable in life no matter what it is, if it consumes God's place in our life, it is not good! If it in anyways goes against a single royal law given, it is not good! If it causes us in any way to reveal that God is not first and foremost in our lives, our loving Him, and that loving others is not the next most important thing in our lives… it is  NOT GOOD!


We can be choked by anxiety, worry, cares and it's easy to comprehend that. 

We can be choked by money problems, money obsession, trusting in money, we can comprehend that.

We can be choked by our pleasures that are lusts- and lusts are anything that consumes us, our self-gratification,  placing pleasure before God and others.

We need to comprehend this!


Choked. A seed becomes a green shoot that will one day bear precious life sustaining fruit, but then it is choked, strangled by thorns- another plant that will bear no life sustaining fruit. That green shoot is killed, it's life is over because of those thorns.


Let's take a very hard look at our lives and our walk with God. May we be as the seed that falls on good ground. May the Word of God be sown in our hearts, finding a place in our lives above all else. May our heart be good and honest  because we truly HEAR and COMPREHEND the word of God, and then we KEEP the word of God, knowing it is the only way for us to bring forth any mature fruit. All with PATIENCE.  


The precious Word of God. 


May the Holy Spirit guide us here and now to hear the Word of God and then live the Word of God. Please, Lord Jesus, please, Father in Heaven, please guide us to this end. Live in us doing your will through us in all things. Let nothing mean more to us than You!

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