Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours without measure from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to another week of the month of October 2024. My prayer is that God will rid your life of everything that is preventing it from being exceedingly fruitful with His word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
As we see in the Scriptures, it is not enough to hear God’s word; it is equally important to bear the fruit that the word we hear is talking about. Otherwise, everything we are hearing will just be going to waste. And one main way to bear the fruit that the word is talking about is to act on what the word says. Yet many people who hear the word of God don’t act on it. In fact, the bible speaks of certain individuals that are ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. Why is that so? Why will someone continually come around for church meetings and still not know the truth God is saying to them, not to talk of act on it? (Cf. 2Tim 3:7)
Well, as our Lord shows us through one of His parables, one of the reasons for that is that people allow the word that they hear to be choked by thorns. And what are these thorns that the Lord is speaking of? Here is what He says about them: “Still others, like seed sown among thorns, 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.” (Mark 4:18-19NIV)
Did you see that? Among the thorns that choke the word of God in people’s lives are worries. In other words, when people give themselves to worrying about their problems instead of meditating on what God is saying to them, their worries will at some point choke the word that they have received. So, it will not work in their lives. Sadly, there are people that come for church meetings and spend all their time worrying about their problems, instead of listening to the word of God that they are being taught. How can such people bear fruit with the word of God?
In addition, the Lord tells us that the deceitfulness of riches and human ambitions are also among those things that choke the word of God in people’s lives. That means when people are desperate to have money, position, fame or pleasure, even if they are listening to the word of God, they will be too occupied or busy to meditate on it and apply it to their lives. So, the word will not be able to work in their lives and change them and their circumstances.
This, as I mentioned earlier, is the reason many people attend church meetings week after week and remain unchanged. Yes, it is the reason many hear the word of God in their church meetings week after week and still make very foolish decisions about their lives, marriages, businesses, jobs and so forth. They are not allowing the word of God to work in their lives and make them the people God wants them to be. Instead, they are choking it through unsanctified relationships, the pursuit of wealth, position and fame and passion for enjoyment.
Should we give up all our relationships because we want to be with Jesus? No! The word of God has not commanded us to do that. However, it has commanded us to sanctify all our relationships. In other words, we are to handle all our relationships in ways that glorify God. Any relationship with anyone, then, that is not bringing glory to God must be rejected by us. Otherwise, that relationship will not stop choking the seed of God’s word in our lives.
Also, is it wrong to be wealthy, to be in a position of greatness or to be famous? No, it is not wrong. But if we allow any of these things to come first in our lives, then, there is no way the word of God will be able to produce fruit in our lives as it should. What about pleasure? Does God not want us to enjoy ourselves? He does. But if we reduce everything about life to pleasure and we begin to think something will go wrong with us, if we can’t be in some parties, watch some movies or eat some delicacies, then, the word of God will not be fruitful as it should be in our lives – it will be choked.
So, if you are concerned at all about being fruitful with the word of God you are listening to, you have to identify everything that may be choking it in your life and deal with it right away. Otherwise, even though you keep listening to God’s word till Jesus comes, your life will not change and become what God wants it to be. And is that what you want? I pray that you will be strengthened by the Spirit of God to begin to do the right thing from this moment, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Have a great week.
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