Are We Distracted By the Cares of This World?

In Matt. 13:1-9, Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower.  The Sower sows seed(the word of God) in four different soils(hearts); one soil has thorns(Matt. 13:7).  Jesus later explained that the thorny ground represented a person who gladly received the word of God, BUT the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches caused the seed to be choked out and was therefore useless(Matt. 13:22).  I suspect that most Christians reading the Parable of the Sower automatically assume that they are represented by the good soil, the one that understands the word of God, and it is fruitful in their lives.  But is that truly the case?  Is each of us good soil?  Are none of us any of the other soils?  Let’s look at the thorny soil.

The Thorny Soil

The thorny soil represents those people who gladly accepted the word of God, but later they experienced problems that caused the seed(word of God) to be useless in their lives.  There were two problems that represented the thorns:  (1) the cares of this world; and (2) the deceitfulness of riches.  What do the cares of this world look like, and how can they affect(i.e. make ineffective) our faith?

The Cares of This World

It is important to remember that we live in physical bodies.  We live in a physical world that has effects on our physical bodies.  We have physical needs: food, water, clothing, shelter, etc.  In general, to sustain life we need to acquire these needs, so there is a clear importance to these needs, but where do we draw the line between need and want?  We need food to eat, but what kinds, how much and do we need to go to restaurants to eat?  We need clothing to wear, but do we think that if we do not have the latest fashions or wear respected brand names that we are missing out?  We need shelter, but how much square feet are enough?  Is 1,000 square feet enough, or do we think anything less than 2,500 isn’t acceptable?  What will others think if I live in a small house or a condominium consisting of only 800 square feet?

All of our physical needs have financial costs in order to acquire them(yes, some people can grow or otherwise make some of these needs, but there are costs to that as well).  As a result, the emphasis to make enough money comes into play.  And how much is enough?  Do I need to make more so I can have better food(go out to eat more often)?  Better clothes?   More clothes?  A bigger house?  A second house?  If your head is starting to spin, you are beginning to feel the effect of consumerism, or as the Bible calls it, materialism(Matt. 6:24 – depending on your translation, you might see words like mammon, money, wealth, etc., but they all refer to a desire for physical things – i.e., materialism).

Although there is nothing wrong with having a job and working to make money that will then be used to satisfy(purchase) those things that are your physical needs, there can be pitfalls that need to be avoided.  We need to acquire enough to survive, but do we stress over what we do to acquire the funds needed to purchase and satisfy those physical needs?  Are we constantly stressing over losing a job?  Are we trying to get a better job(more pay)?  Toward what end?  If we have enough to meet our needs, isn’t that supposed to be enough?

The Deceitfulness of Riches

Since we need money to provide for our physical needs, it can be easy to put a heavy emphasis on the importance of money/riches.    Money is good for the things it will buy, but it can also be deceitful.  Money can cause people to rely on it.  As Christians, we do not rely on money, we rely on God.

After talking about how we cannot serve both God and materialism(Matt. 6:24), Jesus proceeded to tell His disciples not to worry about the needs of this world(i.e. food, shelter and clothing).  Why?  God will take care of us(Matt. 6:25).  Was Jesus lying, or do we just not believe Him?  Will God REALLY take care of us?  I’m not suggesting that we just quit our jobs, sit back and wait for God to take care of us.  Paul said that if a person didn’t work, he shouldn’t eat(II Thes. 3:10).  So clearly the Lord is not promoting laziness.  But what Jesus did say was that we need to have faith in God to take care of us.  He knows our needs.  He loves us.  He is the Creator and Sustainer of this world.  Taking all of this into account, how could we arrive at any other conclusion than that He will take care of us.  And if He WILL take care of us, then what are we worried about(i.e. the cares of this world)?

During the course of our lives, we will have to deal with all kinds of difficult circumstances: a sick loved one(or ourselves); the death of a loved one; loss of a job; friends moving away; we move away from friends and family, etc.  The list is practically endless.  Does our fear of any of these get in the way of our relationship with God?  If so, the cares of this world are separating us from our God.  The cares of this world are choking out the effect that God’s word is SUPPOSED to be having in our lives.  And before we even know it, we ARE the thorny soil!  We have allowed the cares of this world, even if it involves the physical needs of this life, to drive a wedge between ourselves and the love of God.  This is where we do not want to be.  So how do we avoid being the thorny soil?

Avoiding Becoming the Thorny Ground

We need to put our faith, hope and trust in God, but that is easier said than done.  When things get difficult, when the cares of this world infringe on our lives, we worry.  And when we worry, we risk NOT trusting in God.  We might protest that we still trust God, but trusting God and worrying about things in this life appear to be at odds, or cross purposes.  I’m not suggesting that all concern is faith-destroying, but excessive worry seems to be a sign of our own lack of faith in the Lord.

Think about this:  whatever that bad thing that you are worrying about is, what if it happens?  Really, what happens?  Will you turn your back on God?  Will you think He doesn’t care about you if He allows something bad to happen to you?  Has God ever allowed something bad to happen to someone faithful to Him(hint:  Job, Jeremiah, Stephen, James the brother of John)? Or, will you freely admit that something really bad just happened, and that changes nothing.  It doesn’t change who you are.  It doesn’t change how you live your life.  It doesn’t change your faith in God.  It doesn’t choke out God’s word in your life.  You will be that light that shines brightly.  And that light will be God in your life.