"The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity."
This verse is troubling me today, because I read what it actually said and not what I assumed it said.
Normally, I get to the word "thorns" and my brain interprets that as "trials", where the ones who have heard the word of God face trials and either pass or fail. I figure, as long as I overcome the trials, I will prove my mettle like the fourth kind of seed.
The NASB equates the thorns with "worries and riches and pleasures of this life" (emphasis mine). I've never really considered that my smartphone, my Netflix membership, or even my red Swingline stapler might be thorns placed in my life, but in this context they all fit that description.
This verse forces me to take inventory and realize that so many of "my" things are simply that: mine- and I have no intention of using them for God's Kingdom. Instead of producing fruit, I sit on the spoils as a happy hoarder. I worry about what I have and whether or not I will lose it, when God's word teaches me to give it away.
There's no way to soften the blow: I need a new attitude, or my thorns will choke the life right out of me.
3 comments:
Are you reading a one-year plan? I came across the same passage in my reading plan today. Idolatry typically takes a different form from what most people expect – yes, more often red Swingline staplers than golden cows.
Anything that distracts us from putting God first is idolatry.
I am reading a one year plan called the "Life Journal" through the You Version service, which keeps a calendar for me. (The banner ad toward the upper right of my blog also links directly to that plan.) They have numerous plans and translations available besides this one. Admittedly, I'm about a week and a half behind already, but it's helping me keep track of my progress regardless of whether I'm reading on the website, Android phone, or i[Device].
So actually you are using your smart phone to the glory of God.
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