Jump Start # 2830

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

Springtime is a very busy season for me. Here at the Shouse house we have lots and lots of flowers, rose bushes, shrubs, and trees. The spring is always exciting because everything opens up after the long winter. Little sprouts pop up out of the ground. Trees bud. For someone who has allergies, it’s a nightmare. For me, it’s lots of cutting out dead branches, transplanting, and yes, pulling weeds. I believe the dictionary of weeds could be written at our place. Wild onions. Dandelions. Some that spread out like spider webs. Weeds, weeds, weeds. I have found out some interesting things about weeds. They grow in every type of weather we have. If it’s hot and dry, the weeds grow. If it’s wet and cool, the weeds grow. They survive through a frost. And, if you don’t stay on top of it, one dandelion becomes thirty within a day or two.

Our verse today, taken from the parable of the sower, tells us that the thorns grew up and choked out the good seed that the farmer was planting. The seed started to grow. Things were on the up. But the thorns came. The thorns grew faster than the farmer’s seed. There wasn’t enough space, sunlight and moisture for both the thorn and the good seed to survive side by side. In time, the thorn grew and the good seed died out. The good seed didn’t make it. The crop was a failure. It didn’t accomplish what the farmer was hoping. There would be no harvest of the good seed.

Jesus is not giving us principles of farming. That’s not the point. The soil that Jesus was talking about is our hearts. The word of God, which is the seed, comes into our heart. We start to see what God is saying. We start to make changes. Things are on the upside. Things are looking good. But, it doesn’t take long, and that thorn or weed springs up. It’s demanding. It wants our time. It wants our money. It wants our attention. Before long, that good seed is pushed to the back. And, what happens, all too often, is that the person just doesn’t stay with Christ. The thorns and weeds have filled his heart with materialism, immorality, and a thirst for the here and now. There just isn’t time for Jesus.

Now, two main thoughts ought to come to our minds:

First, where do the thorns and weeds come from? Where do weeds in my garden come from? They just seem to be there. I certainly do not go to the store and buy dandelion seed. Seeds are scattered by the wind and birds. And, where do the weeds in my heart come from? Our past. The things that influences us. People that we hang around with. We like TV, but it’s worldly. It’s more likely to take your thoughts and heart away from the Lord than making you more spiritual. We live in a world of thorns and weeds. They are everywhere. And, if we are not careful, our hearts become full of them. In the context of our passage, riches, pleasures and worries are described as the thorns. Those weeds have deep roots. They are hard to pull. Just consider how often we think about riches, pleasures and worries. They fill our days and they rob us of our sleep. We talk about those things. We dream about them. It seems that these are the only things we notice in life. Riches, pleasures and worries.

Second, how do we keep weeds from taking over? For me and my garden, it’s nearly an every day task. Pull. Spray. Dig. Over and over and over. When folks come over they admire our beautiful place. They talk about it over and over. I see work. Lots of work. But at the end of the day, I can look over the place and be satisfied that it has been worth all the time I put into it. Now, to keep up with this, I have to make sacrifices of other things. There is only so many hours in a day and those weeds keep growing.

It’s no different for our hearts. One has to be diligent. One has to stay with it. Not just on Sundays, but everyday. Those weeds grow. They are always growing. Pull. Dig. Spray. That’s the key. You take care of the good plants and you get rid of the worthless weeds. Spiritually, you are reading God’s word. Spiritually, you are worshipping God daily and with the church often. Spiritually, you are careful and watchful. Spiritually, you fight riches, pleasures and worries that will take over and ruin what you have established.

And, others will notice. They will notice that you rise above all their other friends. They will notice your kindness and your willingness to help out. They will notice your character, your forgiveness and your attitude. While they are sprouting weeds, you are shinning with a godly character. It’s work. It’s a lot of work. It’s daily work. But you look back and see how you have grown, changed and you like the way you are turning out. Perfect, you are not. But you are a long, long way from what you used to be.

There are days that when I get home, I do not feel like  walking about the place, pulling, digging and spraying. But I know if I don’t what the place will look like. The same is true spiritually. There are days when you just don’t feel like doing what you need to. But, you know what you will look like if you don’t.

Love the springtime…

Roger

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