Jesus liked to teach by using stories to illustrate the point he was trying to make. On one occasion, he told about a farmer planting seeds in various types of soil. The one that caught my attention this morning was this passage: "The thorny ground represents the hearts of people who listen to the Good News and receive it, but all too quickly the attractions of this world, and the delights of wealth, and the search for success, and the lure of nice things come in and crowd out God's message from their hearts so that no crop is produced." Mark 4:18-19 TLB
I can certainly identify with this! In 1977 I listened to the Good News and received it. I didn't exactly get caught up in the trappings of wealth, or the search for success, but I did get caught up in what I thought being a Christian was about: the friendships we made with the people we met at church, the things we did together, and the fun we had. I loved being a part of my church (and I still do!) and my family was at church every time the door was open. I served whenever, and wherever I could.
But something was wrong with this picture: yes, I was saved, but it was all about me, about me being saved, about me being as good a Christian as I could be. I thought being a Christian was about me. Oh, and Jesus, of course. Oh, and possibly my immediate family. What I didn't get was that being a Christian is also about bearing fruit. And the reason I didn't get it is because I didn't study God's Word as I should have. Jesus gave his life for us, and he told us to follow him, to do what he did. That our life is no longer our own--we need to share it with others.
Yes, after almost forty years of being saved, I think it is starting to sink in--and I am praying that I will be a seed that breaks through the thorny ground of MYSELF and bears fruit!
I can certainly identify with this! In 1977 I listened to the Good News and received it. I didn't exactly get caught up in the trappings of wealth, or the search for success, but I did get caught up in what I thought being a Christian was about: the friendships we made with the people we met at church, the things we did together, and the fun we had. I loved being a part of my church (and I still do!) and my family was at church every time the door was open. I served whenever, and wherever I could.
But something was wrong with this picture: yes, I was saved, but it was all about me, about me being saved, about me being as good a Christian as I could be. I thought being a Christian was about me. Oh, and Jesus, of course. Oh, and possibly my immediate family. What I didn't get was that being a Christian is also about bearing fruit. And the reason I didn't get it is because I didn't study God's Word as I should have. Jesus gave his life for us, and he told us to follow him, to do what he did. That our life is no longer our own--we need to share it with others.
Yes, after almost forty years of being saved, I think it is starting to sink in--and I am praying that I will be a seed that breaks through the thorny ground of MYSELF and bears fruit!
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