Aim for Simplicity

The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22)

The message of the Gospel has the power to transformed our lives. In fact it has the power to transform our world. Yes, our world! If we would pay attention, and really seek to understand its message, the Gospel can enable us to live better lives starting in the here and now, and then going on forever in the eternal kingdom of God, which is the new heaven and the new earth, i.e. the new creation. The future is super exciting for those who will receive the word of God gladly and faithfully today. But this will not be automatic. We are responsible for how we respond to the word or the message of the Gospel. We can harden our hearts and turn away. We can be passive or be disengaged, thus nullifying the transforming power of the Gospel planted in our hearts. We can also become super busy and hurried (i.e. always in a hurry to achieve and accomplish, as if it all depends on you), making the word of God of no consequence at all in the way we think, speak or live. The good things of this world, created either to meet our needs or for our enjoyment, can easily become our idols. We can begin worshiping them to our own peril. So the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth can easily choke the word, making it unfruitful, as the passage says. When we begin to be more interested in satisfying our external world rather than in nurturing our inner souls, we lose perspective. We end up prioritizing what the world can offer us rather than what the word can do to us. The word of God can transform us into the image of God, but it will not do so without our consent and utmost concentration. If we are distracted by this world, we will end up wasting every opportunity for growth and fruitfulness. Growth requires time and patience. Be careful that you do not replace intimacy with Christ with busyness or being hurried. Eliminate them from your life! Guard your soul, and choose to be healthy spiritually, so that your soul can receive God’s word faithfully. Shalom! (PB)