The Cares Of This Life
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time
your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and
drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day
come upon you unawares (Luke 21:34).
The parable of the sower that Jesus told in Mark
chapter 4 shows us the reason the Word of
God is unfruitful in the lives of some people. These
people are overwhelmed by the cares of this life:
“And these are they which are sown among thorns;
such as hear the word, And the cares of this world…
choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful” (Mark
4:18-19).
When you find a Christian who isn’t bearing fruits
that are consistent with the Word of God, it’s because
he or she is encumbered with the cares of this life,
therefore receiving the Word amongst thorns. “Thorns”
here refers to “the cares of this world, the deceitfulness
of riches, and the lusts of other things.” These things
choke the Word of God in people’s lives and make it
unproductive, thus resulting in many not living to their
potentials in Christ.
1 John 2:15 says, “Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world. If any man love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.” Our opening
scripture says, “…take heed to yourselves, lest at any
time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting.” God
wants your affection and attention set on Him and His
eternal Word, on things in heaven and not on things
in the earth (Colossians 3:2). He wants you to guard
your heart and make it a fertile ground always for His
Word to not only be deep-rooted, but also to produce
the desired result.
In Proverbs 23:26, He said, “My son, give me
thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.” He
doesn’t want you chasing after the vain things of life,
but rather that you meditate on the Word and let it
gain the ascendancy in your life. That way, you’d have
a fruitful and productive life: “Blessed is the man that…
his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth
he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his
fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and
whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:1-3).
Prayer
Blessed Father, my heart is fixed on you, to serve you, love you,
and bear fruits of righteousness. Nothing in the world satisfies as
much as the pleasure of knowing you and living for you! My gaze
is set on you, to know and walk in your wisdom, fulfilling your
will and purpose for my life, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Further study:
Mark 4:14-20
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
Numbers 1-2
Mark 7:24-8:1-13
2-YEAR BIBLEREADING PLAN
Acts 21:27-39
Psalm 42-43