Among Thorns

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“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Mark 4:3-8  

Today we’re going to be looking at the third response from Mark 4. If you missed it or want a reminder here are links to the last two newsletters discussing the first and second responses. 

Third Response: Accept it into their lives, but are easily distracted

  • Jesus describes the third type as those who “hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” v. 18-19
  • This is a hard type of response to spot sometimes. Our churches are full of people like this; you may fall into this category yourself. What makes it difficult is that not all distractions are ‘bad things’ that are easy to recognize. We can be distracted by good things such as: gifts from God (including your family or friends), participating in activities at your church, volunteering and living your life as the Bible instructs. 
  • In Revelation 2:1-7 we read words to the church at Ephesus. They are warned that they have replaced their relationship with Christ for religious rituals and beliefs. On the surface they seem to be committed, religious people, but they are distracted from their relationship and lose focus on Jesus. 
  • So what’s the solution if you find yourself in this place? Seek the Lord. Read His Word, talk to Him, and pray for a deeper understanding and a life that fits into the fourth category which we’ll look at next month. 

Dig Deeper

Examine your own life this week, pray for the Lord to show you if you are in this stage. What are the distractions in your life? What steps can you take to remove these distractions and focus more on Christ? 
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