No Bed of Roses
by Pastor Bill Pevlor
Contrary to what some preachers might tell you, the Christian life is not
a bed of roses. When you choose to follow Jesus, the trials of this life don’t
magically disappear. As believers, it’s important for us to recognize and be
wary of the pitfalls common to all believers; pitfalls that can wreck your faith
and ruin your relationship with the Lord. Jesus uses a parable to illustrate
this point in the fourth chapter of Mark’s Gospel.
The parable is about a farmer who scattered seed. Some fell on the path
and birds ate it. Some fell on rocky places without much soil. Those seeds
sprang up quickly and died when the sun came up because they lacked roots. Some
seed fell among thorns and was choked out by the weeds. Some fell on good soil
where they grew and produced a crop, multiplying up to a hundred times more than
was planted.
In verses 14 through 20 Jesus explained the parable’s meaning. The seed
the farmer was sowing was the Word of God; the revelation of God’s character
and will. “Some people are like seed along the path,” Jesus said. “As
soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in
them.” The seeds that fell on the rocky places represent people who hear
the good news of God’s Word and receive it with joy, but when persecution
comes they quickly fall away. The seeds that fell on good soil represent the
people who heard the Word, accepted it and went on to live fruitful lives in the
Kingdom of God.
The one I want to focus on is the seed that was sown among the thorns. I
believe it’s the “thorns” that present the greatest threat to the true,
committed Christian. These seeds, sown among the thorns, represent the good news
reaching people who hear it and take it to heart. They begin growing in, and
living by, the Word. Things are going well; they are happy in the Lord. Then the
thorns begin to crowd in. The thorns are those things that take our minds off
the Lord and what He would have us do.
We all have to deal with the thorns of life. Accidents, illness, family
problems, work problems, financial problems and natural disasters can all be
thorns. It is easy to get completely wrapped up in the problem. The danger is
that we end up focusing all our attention on something other than Jesus. Let’s
be honest, when you are up to your you-know-what in alligators, it is hard to
think of anything but the alligators. It’s hard to pray or read the Bible in a
crisis.
It’s easy to recognize a crisis as the “thorns” crowding in, but
remember, thorns can also be pleasant things. A new job that promises to pay
better but also takes all your energy and time can be a thorn. A new love
relationship that requires a lot of time and a little bit of compromise is
another one. A serious hobby and just the busyness of everyday life can all be
thorns that choke out the life of God.
Even the church can be a patch of thorns. Often people can get so
involved with the vast array of church activities they have no time for God. The
sad part is, these people think they have a great relationship with the Lord.
They mistakenly equate busyness with a relationship with God. Other people in
the church watching their busyness often make the same mistake. “John and Mary
are such a Godly couple, they do so much for the church.” In truth, some of
the hardest workers in the church can be weak and sick spiritually.
The “worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires
for other things” affect us all. We must continue to monitor our lives and
evaluate our direction. It is all too easy to find yourself surrounded by thorns
that are trying to “choke” you, making you “unfruitful” for the kingdom
of God.
Jesus desires that all of us would be firmly rooted; like the seed
planted on good soil and that our roots would go deep into the Word of God, the
Holy Bible. Jesus wants us to grow strong in the faith and be fruitful,
producing a crop - “thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”
If your life experience has been a depiction of the seed on the path, the
seed on the rocks or the seed choked out among the thorns you need a fresh
start. You need to find your way to a Bible-believing church next Sunday and
dedicate (or rededicate) your life to the Lord. The Lord is not angry with you.
He is simply waiting for your return; waiting to establish (or re-establish) the
relationship He was willing to die for.
If you are like a seed that was planted on good soil, keep your eyes
open. Thorns can spring up anywhere. Evaluate your life and direction today and
whack out the thorns that are beginning to crowd out your relationship with God.
Every garden needs to be weeded or the weeds will eventually dominate.
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Faith Ministries
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Phone: 920-487-5775
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