Jump Start # 434

Luke 8:7 “And other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it, and choked it out.”

  Our look at the parable of the sower continues. Today we notice the seed that fell among the thorns, a tough place for the seed to be and to grow. The seed germinated and a small plant started to grow. The thorns grew more quickly and it squeezed the little plant out, stealing the sun, the rain and the nutrients from the soil.

  Most of us can relate to weeds. You find them everywhere. Interesting thing about weeds, they grow. In the midst of a long drought, the yard can be burned up and dry, yet the weeds will spread. In the early spring the weeds are there. Late in the fall, you’ll find weeds. Even in rainy times, weeds grow. Have you ever noticed dandelions? One day you see three or four in your yard. In two days you’ll have a dozen. If you don’t move quick, you’ll have more dandelions than you will grass. That’s just the way weeds work.

  In the explanation of this passage Jesus tells us, “these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are chocked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.” Matthew says this, “this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.”

  This is very revealing to us. This explains many things. The heart has only so much room. If something doesn’t fit, it simply won’t fit. Pressures of life can squeeze out the hope and faith we have in the Lord. It also reveals to us that worries and pleasures can grow fast, even faster than faith.

  Worry does that. You don’t need me to tell you that, you know. Worry tends to think the worst of things, not the best. Worry exaggerates things and gets things out of proportion. One writer said, “worry makes even a little dog seem big.” In the sermon on the mount Jesus addressed the subject of worry or being anxious. Worry closes our eyes to the how God has blessed us. Worry eats away at faith. The greater our faith, the less we worry. The more we worry, the less we believe. That’s just how it is. And we tend to worry about EVERYTHING—from the weather, the economy, the kids, the out come of a ballgame, our health, our bills, our jobs, and even the kitchen sink dripping through the night. And without realizing it, as we worry, we are feeding those thorns. They grow and grow, especially over night. We worry more, fear more, doubt more, and trust less. Worry takes over our day. It’s hard to concentrate at work because of worry. The thorns grow even more. Soon, we find ourselves worrying during worship. It’s hard to focus on prayer, because we are worrying. And the thorns grow. We find our minds not listening to the sermon, the power of God’s word, because worry has taken over. And the thorns grow. Worry makes us cranky, tired, and negative. And the thorns grow. If nothing is done, before long our little faith dies from a lack of sun, rain and nutrition. We don’t mean for this to happen, but it does.

  The same goes for pleasure and riches of the world. Materialism fills our hearts and minds. Buying and buying consumes us. We begin to define our worth by what we wear and what we drive. Impressing others, turning heads seems to fill more of our time than what we are on the inside. And with this, the thorn grows.

  We see this. We understand this. We know this. What’s to be done? What’s the answer? Pull weeds. That’s it—just pull those stubborn weeds. When you do that, your hands get dirty. Some weeds have deep roots and you have to dig them out. You’ll sweat some, that comes with weed pulling. Your hands get green. That’s part of it. When you’re done, your yard looks better and your heart looks better and your faith starts growing, once the weeds are gone.

  Spend time with the Lord. Learn Him. Know Him. Trust Him.

 I’ve found that every year new weeds come up. I can dig ‘em out, spray them, and get the yard looking nice—until the next year and I have to do it again. I think the same thing happens with our hearts. We can get rid of the weeds for now, but they have a way of coming back each season. Stay at it and after awhile the faith grows so much that it chokes the weeds out—just the opposite affect.

  The Lord sure knew what He was talking about, didn’t He.

Roger