“The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.” —Mark 4:18-19 NLT

Have you ever started a diet or an exercise plan with great enthusiasm, only to watch that enthusiasm fizzle out as the plan is swept away? Yeah, me too. We can start with high motivation and great intentions, but that pesky carrying-it-through-the-hard-times thing? That’s hard. We make exceptions with diet and exercise, giving ourselves permission to skip one day, which turns into two days, then into weeks of only half-hearted, sporadic commitment to whatever it was that had initially enthused us. This is very human. It’s also why we so often fail.

Sigh.

Even more important than diet and exercise, which helps keep our physical bodies in good shape, is spiritual exercise, which allows us to bear fruit as we serve the Lord. Jesus lays this out for us in His “Parable of the Sower.” Many seeds may be sown, but few grow into the plant they were meant to be—a plant that creates its own seeds for the next generation to flourish. They can be ambushed by poor soil, swooping birds, or thorns and weeds that choke out growth. In my quiet time this week, I was truly challenged by the part about the seeds that fell among the thorns. So, I’m diving into that for today’s Musing and developing a strategy for us to keep the thorns away from our fruit production!

The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s Word, but all too quickly, the message is crowded out by …

The worries of this life. I have often been choked by worry and anxiety. For a time, anxiety prevented me from driving to many places where I now go to share my faith as a speaker. I would not be speaking today if I had not learned how to turn those worries into prayers. How thankful I am for the godly mentor who helped me. Worrying about what might happen can paralyze us from doing what God calls us to do. The only way I know to combat worry is to capture that worried thought immediately and refuse to dwell on it. Instead, I pray about it. Repeatedly. Until the voice of the enemy is silenced. Initially, that can literally mean praying about a worry fifty times a day. But, oh, the joy when that worry is replaced with the sure knowing that if God calls us, we can do the hard thing He’s calling us to do. And we can do it with trust and faith. Worry cripples. Prayer releases us to do the work God calls us to, whether serving in a homeless shelter, caring for a sick relative, or traveling on a mission trip. Watch out for the thorn of worry.

God’s Word says: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

The lure of wealth. We live in a world that wants us to think that buying more stuff and being rich will make us happy. It doesn’t. It just makes us fussier and wanting more. There might be a temporary high with a new gadget or home or piece of clothing, but gadgets break, homes need repairs, and clothing tears and stains, no matter how fancy it is. And then we want more. Instead, God calls us to be content with what He gives. The best cure for thinking wealth will satisfy is practicing gratitude instead. Looking at what we do have instead of yearning for what we don’t. Noticing that there’s a roof over our heads. Being grateful for food each day. Remembering that fresh water at the turn of a faucet is a luxury in some countries. Knowing that true peace comes from being loved by the God of the Universe no matter what we’ve done or how poorly we manage to live for Him. Godliness with contentment is great gain.

God’s Word says: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” —1 Timothy 6:6-11 NIV

The desire for other things. We humans can desire the silliest things. We want to be popular, for example. Why on earth would we want to follow a crowd running in the wrong direction? From middle school on, a part of us wants to fit in and be like all the others. At times, choosing to stay true to Christian convictions in a world that disdains them makes us stand out in uncomfortable ways. Staying loving and kind when the remarks of those around us are cutting can be very difficult. We can spend way too much time scrolling our phones, watching shows of questionable moral benefit, or pursuing pleasures that are fleeting and often not God-honoring. God wants our hearts to be centered on Him. No product, club, video game, or fad is ever to consume us. Our hearts need to belong solely to Him. And the stunning and lovely thing about giving our whole hearts to Him is that we are truly satisfied and able to delight in the goodness of His creation. We just need to have our priorities straight. Playing games isn’t bad. Hanging out with good friends isn’t either. All these good things will be added to us if we keep Him and His kingdom work first. The key is to start with Him.

God’s Word says: “‘So don’t worry about these things, saying, “What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?” These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.’” —Matthew 6:31-33 NLT

And then no fruit is produced …

The consequence of allowing our desire to serve God to be choked out by lesser things—by thorns—is that we produce no fruit. When we arrive in Heaven, may it not be just barely and empty-handed. Let’s serve the Lord who loves us, wisely using the gifts He gave us, so we can lay our crowns at His feet and hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

God’s Word says: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.” —1 Corinthians 3:11-15 NLT

Heavenly Father, I want to build on the foundation of Jesus with gold, silver, and jewels so that some sweet day, I can lay that crown you promise down at your feet. Help me to spend this precious time you’ve given me on earth to fulfill Your will and purpose for my life. Make me aware of the thorns that threaten to choke out the good life You have planned for me. Help me to be a fruit-producing child, Lord. Only by Your strength and mercy, I ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

You are loved,
Sharon

Sweet Selah Ministries 

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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