Devotional for Thursday Jan 11, 2007: Seeds and Weeds
Greg Laurie Senior Pastor Harvest Christian Fellowship Riverside, Ca
Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
When Jesus spoke of the seed that is sown among thorns, He was talking about ground that is embedded with weeds. There were over 2,000 types of weeds in ancient Israel, weeds that would hinder the growth of a seed. Seeds that were planted in that soil would be in a constant battle with weeds.
The trouble with a weed is that it does not have an immediate effect—it is more gradual. This is in contrast to seed that is sown on rocky soil, which shoots up and then falls away. A seed sown among thorns is harder to identify. A person may say, "I am a Christian," and perhaps you see some changes in his or her life. It will seem like this person is solid.
A few weeks or months go by, and slowly but surely, something happens. As Jesus said, "The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22). It doesn't happen overnight. This person doesn't abandon his or her faith instantaneously. It is something that takes place over a period of time.
Gradually, material things become more important to them than spiritual things. After awhile, movies become more important than church. Parties become more important than prayer. Things on Earth become more important than treasures in heaven. And slowly but surely, the weeds choke them out. These people are not converted; it just looked like they were. And after awhile, they just bail out.
So how can we tell who the true converts are? By time. Time will tell—time and the visible results in their lives called spiritual fruit.
P.S. For more of my writing, check out my weekly column at WorldNetDaily.
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