Luke 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
Restaurants are usually required to hang a poster that instructs people what to do in the event that they begin choking during their meal. Nobody sits down to eat and decides to eat in such a way that it would put them in danger of choking, would they? Yet, when it comes to living for Jesus Christ, many people ignore the “beware of choking” signs, and plunge right into habits of indulgence that choke the truth of God from bearing fruit in their lives.
The NIV Version of this verse reads this way: “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” What things choke the truth of God’s Word from bearing fruit in our lives? Worry, and the pursuit of riches and pleasures. Mark’s gospel adds this: “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” (Mark 4:19)
Let me ask you a question this morning, beloved. Is your walk with Jesus being suffocated by worry, the deceitfulness of riches, or the lusts (intense cravings) of other things? Have any of these things quenched your hunger for the things of God? Look to Jesus this morning and pray that He would grant to you the power and desire to curb those destructive elements and restore to you a hunger and thirst for things that make you grow in grace and the knowledge of Him.
