photo #3643368

Dangerous DistractionsMatt 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.Jesus describes one of the four reactions to the Word of God when it is sown in someone’s life. Four types of soil represent this. The thorny soil represents the person preoccupied with life's issues. It is thorny because there are so many twists and turns, entanglements, and hurts. The tendency is to distract and keep us from growing in the world and being productive believers.Most accidents happen because of distractions. We are daydreaming; we are preoccupied with something else. One momentary lapse can cause an automobile accident. One forgetful moment can cause you to keep a flame on the stove resulting in a fire. Loading watermelons in the hot summers in Mississippi when I was a boy was an adventure, at least the first day. We would stand in a line, and people would start pitching the watermelons face high. One lapse of memory and you got knocked square in the face. I got hit in the face with a pitched watermelon more than once. We must be sober and vigilant and have a clear purpose for our lives as believers. Later, Jesus said in the chapter, "While men slept, the enemy came in and sowed tares among the wheat."He tells me what these distractions are. They sound very much like this area. There are the cares of the world. This encompasses a lot of territories. It is working, relating, and existing in this world. When one of these things gets blown out of proportion, it preoccupies our thoughts, time, and energy. In our quest to survive in this life that will pass away, we forget about surviving spiritually and cultivating a life that will last forever. Those who look to their spiritual lives make wise choices. Jesus told Martha about Mary.Then there is the deceitfulness of riches. This is an infatuation with a currency that cannot outlast this life. Jesus puts a wrinkle on it and says it is deceitful. The reason riches are deceitful is that the more we accumulate, the more we want. People think they can buy happiness and respect, and so often, it does not happen. "Can’t buy me; love is true." Vance Havner used to say God’s Word does not teach the denial of money nor the deification of money but the dedication of money to God.Whatever the distraction, the result is still the same. It causes us to become unfruitful and unproductive for the Lord. Anything that causes us to do that is dangerous and fatal if it keeps us away from the life God wants us to have in Christ. Don’t be distracted; receive the word and bring forth much fruit by being alive to God and dead all the distractions that can choke and make our spiritual life meaningless. --- Dan Nelson