Worldly Heart

And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

Matthew 13: 7

This is such a short scripture. However, Jesus has much to explain to his disciples.

Matthew 13: 22, Mark 4: 18, 19, Luke 8: 14

Once again Jesus is explaining that the seed or word was planted by the sower. In this instance the seed or Word was sown in the soil or heart of those who did hear the word. One gets the sense that the hearts of those that heard the Word were not only receptive but there was a real embracing of that Word in their hearts. This was not just listening but it was true hearing. Paul said it this way:

So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God

Romans 10: 17

ACTIVE HEARING

This type of hearing is active hearing. It’s the type of hearing where the recipient is invested in receiving the Word and having a desire to want to do something about the Word that they’ve heard. Faith is not passive. There is action when one truly has faith working in their lives. We may not always see activity. However, read about the lives of those that the Hebrew writer presents as men and women of faith (Hebrews Chapter 11). Sometimes their faith caused them to move like Abraham going into a far country. Other times it was manifested in standing still; like Moses before the Red Sea. However, in all instances, it was the action of hearing that proceeded the action of faith.

On that day, along the shore, there stood those who had hearts that were ready to receive what Jesus had to say. They were not necessarily there for the miracles and they were not necessarily there for selfish reasons. They were those that possessed a belief in God that went beyond wanting to be fed or had selfish reasons for being there. There are many today that have that same motivation. They truly want what the Lord has to say. They desire to know God’s word and even His will for their lives. So what is the issue?

MAINTENANCE

If you have ever planted a garden, you know that it takes much work to produce a thriving crop. Not only do you have to prepare the soil and plant the seed but the hardest part of maintaining a thriving garden is just that … maintenance. The part of maintenance that sometimes becomes the most frustrating is keeping the weeds out of the garden. You can’t just plant and water and expect a bumper crop. It also takes days, weeks and months of maintenance. And unless you are willing to go out and “weed” your garden, those weeds (or as the scripture writer states, thorns) will overtake your crops and choke them out from producing fruit. Weeds are hard and frustrating in keeping out of the garden. Thorns would be even worse! Not only do they grow like weeds. But because of their sharpness, once they get out of hand, they become a deterrent from anyone wanting to go into the garden and pull them out.

Cares, riches and pleasures of life can become like weeds or thorns in one’s garden. If the heart is not maintained then those “weeds” can get out of hand. Also, there are only so many nutrients in the soil to be able to sustain growth. Once the weeds take over, they rob the legitimate seed of the necessary nutrients to sustain growth. The cares, riches and pleasures do the same thing in the hearts of men. Jesus said it this way, “No man can serve two Masters.” Once those “weeds” begin to take root, it takes much work and effort to keep them out of the heart. It takes being able to focus on the task of planting (hearing the Word) and putting forth the effort to keep the weeds out (doing the Word).

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Unfortunately, the devil “bombards” us with many potential avenues for weeds to flourish. Our mass and social media presents these “weeds” in the forefronts of our attention. When was the last time you saw on any media platform, someone truly promoting holy living. I will give you a minute … how about an hour … maybe a few days … years? The idea of holy living has become such a joke, at best, and a target, at worst, for most media platforms. What is being promoted by these platforms is the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the pleasures of this life. Movies, TV, Social Media Platforms, News, Radio, Sports, etc. by their nature promote those things that, if we are not careful, can become weeds in our lives. Far too often, Christian people allow these weeds and thorns to grow through spending time on these platforms and outlets. Remember the hardest part of gardening is the maintenance. Just as it takes work to focus on the purpose of the garden and to keep those things out that are not a part of that purpose, the same is true in our “spiritual” lives. It takes work to maintain a heart that has as its purpose to produce fruit. It takes work to continually maintain a pure heart; one that is single focused and not allowing “worldliness” to settle in.

THE WORLD

It’s also hard to know how to balance the things of this world with our own spiritual growth. Jesus prayed this to the Father:

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

John 17: 15,16

We have to work, for instance, and therefore have careers. We have to make money to keep food on the table, to keep a roof over our heads and to provide for our families. If we want the necessities of life, we have to go into the “marketplace” to obtain those needed goods and services. There are times that we are not praying, reading, fasting, giving, going to services, etc. There are times to enjoy the good things that God has offered in this life. Sometimes we do need a break… We go on vacations. We may take the kids to the zoo. We may even enjoy a sporting event. Those are all things that when kept in their proper place do not have to overrun the garden of our hearts. Jesus, however, asked the Father to “keep them from the evil.”

What Jesus was speaking about is when worldly things become such a focus in our lives that they crowd out the Word and become thorns and snares to us – they become evil. It’s the cares of this life that have our main focus and produce stresses and anxieties; cares that have selfishness at their root. Likewise it’s the deceitfulness of riches that cause us to trust in them more than we trust in God; thinking that those riches will bring true happiness. Pleasures that can take our minds and our hearts away from that which is holy and wholesome. Pleasures, that if allowed, rob us of our time, talents and in some instances our hearts and minds.

The “worldly” heart, in this instance, is one that desires God and may even want a relationship. However, the “weeds” (which really become thorns) of this world choke out that desire and really become the true focus. There is no such thing as a worldly Christian. The state of this heart is a neglectful state. The state of this heart is really a lazy heart. The worldly heart does not want to work to keep itself free from weeds and thorns. Therefore the worldly heart does not produce fruit. This heart or person may have a real desire for God. However, their neglect does not work to produce the real fruit of the Spirit. These people are unable to be a true help in the kingdom of God due to their laziness and neglect… and the fact that they produce no fruit for others to partake of.

The Hebrew writer admonished those in that day and us today that we must “labor to enter into His rest.” To be one of God’s children it takes labor. In order to produce fruit, it takes work and effort. Ironically, the labor that the Hebrew writer spoke of was the actual solution for those with this “worldly” heart condition. What they needed was rest or peace. Show me a man/woman that is at peace with God and I will show you one who has a heart that works at staying in that condition; one who works to keep the thorns out of the garden of his/her heart.