The Worries of This World

I've been reading through scripture in an attempt to read cover to cover in one calendar year. The rich, slow, intricate story of the Old Testament has been wonderful, but as this year comes to a close I found myself craving the vibrancy of the New Testament. I skipped forward a bit and jumped into Matthew, and it has felt like guzzling water after a long, dry wait.

This morning I was in Matthew 13, devouring the stories and parables of Jesus. Chapter 13 includes the parable of the sower and the variety of outcomes of his seeds. Most of it is Sunday-school familiar; some seeds fall on the path and birds eat them, some seeds on rocky ground and quickly sprouted and died for lack of depth, some fell in thorns and are choked out, and some on good soil and reproduce in droves.

What struck me this morning was Jesus' explanation of the thorns later in the chapter...

He said: " Now the one sown among the thorns- this is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful." (Matt. 13:22)

Friends, THE WORRIES OF THIS WORLD can so easily choke out our fruitfulness.

Let's keep our attention on the right things, the right One, the right citizenship. Don't let the worries of this world steal your fruitfulness! The "soil" is inside us, not our external circumstances. Worry happens INSIDE. Our fruitfulness depends on the condition of OUR INSIDE, not the surrounding circumstance.

Stay focused, tend your heart, shine bright in this darkness!

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