“Mom, it really doesn’t matter. I will just die and they will put my stuff in a box and someone will buy it for a quarter!”
Jesus warned about three things that, if not monitored carefully, will choke out one’s spiritual passion. Matthew 13 unfolds the story of a farmer who plants his crop in the ancient manner of just “casting the seed” and letting it fall where it will. The time of germination passes and early growth arrives with the promise of a crop to later be harvested. At this point, Jesus declares, there are three primary risks—hard soil which receives nothing, shallow soil which can’t sustain the plant, and rich soil that is also home to a healthy crop of weeds. Basically Jesus warns that these three primary threats exist which choke out spiritual passion: Whoppee. Worry. Wealth.
Excessive preoccupation with simply enjoying the one life given can render a soul unresponsive to things that really matter. Spiritual seed ignored in the pursuit of life…spiritual death by Whoppee!
Excessive preoccupation with the struggles and challenges and concerns of this life can steal the vitality and passion for things that truly matter. Spiritual seed fighting against the daily cares of this world…spiritual death by Worry!
Excessive preoccupation with the “blessings” enjoyed in the form of “good things,” living comfortably and luxuriously. Distractions caused by the responsibility of “good stewardship”…spiritual death by Wealth!
Whoppee…living as though there is no forever heaven or hell.
Worry…living as though there is only an impotent God.
Wealth…living as though the good things here are of greater value then the great things yet to come.
My granddaughter was in trouble again. It wasn’t the first time she had “lost” a piece of jewelry. But when her mother began scolding her for a lack of responsibility, the five-year-old appealed to a recent event. She had been present when the community crowded onto the lawn of her mother’s grandparents to try to snag a great deal. As the auction progressed, this little one astutely observed that things once highly treasured by her great-grandmother were simply mingled into a “one bid buys all” box. So, she insightfully replied to Mom’s correction: “I will just die, and they will throw my stuff into a box, and someone will buy it for a quarter!”
One secret to ANXIETY ATTACKs is to remember this truth:
“Pack light. We are only traveling through!”
See you Sunday, Church!
Pastor Tom