Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. – Matthew 13:7 (NIV)
As we study the Parable of the Sower, hopefully, it has helped you this week to think a little about how you’re studying and receiving God’s word. The Word is powerful, but it’s up to us how we respond to it and what we do with it.
Today we’re looking at soil that has thorns in it. An example of this would be a person who responded to the Word, who grew, but after a little time, the word was choked out.
Often the word gets choked out by cares and concerns of the world. Maybe you had a great youth camp, grew a lot and really have been studying your Bible ever since. But now that school has started, the pressures and cares of getting good grades, getting a good part in the school play have begun to take over your thoughts. As a result, you feel less excited about God’s word.
This can happen to any of us. As life gets busy, we can get distracted by the cares and the problems of life. Sometimes even to the point that we don’t have time for the things of God. That’s what this verse is showing us.
Today’s Truth: Challenge yourself to not let cares choke out the word of God in your life.
So our job is to be a person who guards the word in our hearts. We must not let ourselves get distracted and let the cares and concerns of life keep us from the Word of God. Instead, we must be on guard. We need to make time for His word each day and to make that the focus in our lives. Yes, life can be full of concerns, but if we follow Jesus, we have an answer for every problem that we face. We don’t have to carry those concerns on our own. Instead we can take them to Jesus at any time during the day to get the help we need.
Today, challenge yourself to get the help from Jesus that you need. Don’t let the cares of life choke out God’s word. Take your concerns to Jesus and let Him help carry them.