DEEP - Week 5
Day 1
“Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” - Mark 4:18–19
What if one of the greatest threats to our spiritual growth isn't something obviously sinful? What if it is something good that quietly becomes too important?
Jesus tells a story about seed being scattered onto different kinds of soil. The seed represents the Word of God, and the soil represents people. Some hearts are hard. Some receive God's Word enthusiastically but never develop roots. Then Jesus describes a third kind of soil.
Something grows there.
The problem is that something else grows there too.
Thorns begin competing with the seed, and eventually they choke what God planted. Jesus names three of those thorns: the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things.
Notice His wording. Jesus doesn't simply warn us about wealth. He warns us about the deceitfulness of wealth.
Money makes promises.
It whispers, “If we had more, we would finally feel secure.”
“If we earned enough, we wouldn't have to worry.”
“If we could afford that house, that car, that vacation, or that lifestyle, we would finally feel successful.”
“If we accumulated enough, we wouldn't have to depend on anyone.”
That last promise may be the most dangerous.
Because the end goal of deceitful wealth is abundance without dependence.
Yet dependence upon God isn't a weakness Christianity is trying to help us overcome. Dependence upon God is exactly how we were created to live.
Scripture presents God as a Father who provides. Everything we possess ultimately traces back to Him: our abilities, opportunities, relationships, strength, wisdom, resources, and even the breath we use to work for what we have.
Money isn't automatically evil. Having little doesn't automatically make us spiritual, and having much doesn't automatically make us worldly.
The issue is the heart.
We can have very little money and still be consumed by money. We can constantly think, “If we just had more, everything would be okay.”
That is why Jesus' warning reaches every income level.
The question isn't simply, “How much do we have?”
A better question is, “What are we expecting money to do for us?”
God provides resources for us to steward, enjoy, share, save, invest, and use wisely. But the moment we ask those resources to give us identity, security, peace, significance, or ultimate satisfaction, we place a weight upon them they were never designed to carry.
Eventually, they will disappoint us.
The tragedy of the third soil is that we can actually hear the Word. God's truth can be planted within us. There can be genuine potential for spiritual fruit.
But something else can get more room.
Slowly, financial pressure gets louder than God's promises. Maintaining a lifestyle becomes more important than obedience. Getting ahead becomes more urgent than generosity. Comparing what we have with what someone else has steals our gratitude.
Nothing dramatic has to happen.
The Word can simply be crowded out.
That's why this week isn't primarily about our bank accounts. It's about our hearts.
Jesus isn't trying to take something good away from us. He's protecting us from asking something temporary to do what only God can do.
So let's begin here.
We can honestly ask ourselves:
What do we believe having more money would fix?
What are we afraid would happen if we had less?
Does financial pressure determine our obedience to God?
Are we more excited about what God can give us than about knowing God Himself?
Is God's Word flourishing in our lives, or is something slowly choking it?
God is the Giver.
Money is a gift.
And gifts make terrible gods.
The safest place for money is in the hands of people who remember where it came from, why it was given, and Who ultimately owns it.
Let's not allow a blessing to become a competitor.
We can hold the gift with an open hand while clinging tightly to the Giver.
WATCH THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE HERE: https://www.youtube.com/live/6h_fWFvtWnw?si=rtwyqC3I2ZSSDcu3
