This morning we continue our series entitled, “Refined Focus”, by continuing to walk through the parable of the sower. Jesus said:
“The farmer is like someone who plants God’s teaching in people. Sometimes the teaching falls on the path. That is like some people who hear the teaching of God. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the teaching that was planted in them.
Other people are like the seed planted on rocky ground. They hear the teaching, and they quickly and gladly accept it. But they don’t allow it to go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. As soon as trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching they accepted, they give up.
Others are like the seed planted among the thorny weeds. They hear the teaching, but their lives become full of other things: the worries of this life, the love of money, and everything else they want. This keeps the teaching from growing, and it does not produce a crop in their lives.
And others are like the seed planted on the good ground. They hear the teaching and accept it. Then they grow and produce a good crop—sometimes 30 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 100 times more.” (Mark 4:13-20 ERV)
I will continue to focus in on the line, “the worries of this life.” Other translations read, “the cares of this world.” Please take a moment to picture the visual Jesus gives in this parable. The sower takes it upon Himself to sow seed in the soil. Why? Because HE is looking for results. The same sower provides the same seed to four different types of soil and he gets varying results, based on the soil. In the case of the ground with thorny weeds, Jesus paints of the picture of weeds actually growing alongside the good seed. The problem is that the weeds are fed more than the seed. So the strength of the weeds eventually overpower the good seed and keep it from producing a harvest. This is exactly what happens when you allow the cares of this world to choke-out the Word from producing in your life.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
- God not only went out of His way to pursue you to ensure His messengers presented you with the Gospel so you could be Born-Again, but God is actively pursuing you now, to sow His Word in your heart. God sows His Word as seed in the soil of your heart so it can produce a Godly harvest in your life. But when you give more attention to the cares of this world than you do the Word that is sown in your heart, your focus on worldly care feeds the weeds instead of the Word and the weeds wind up overtaking the Word. So make no mistake, your focus is critically important. Whatever you give your focus to will be what produces in your life.
- When you give the cares of this world more attention than the Word of God you are working against what God wants to do in your life.
- You get to choose what you give your attention to. Jesus likened the cares of this world to weeds and He likened His Word to seed. Your focus can feed either one. If you focus on the cares of this world you will feed your weeds more than you are feeding God’s Word, and when people look at your life all they will see is weeds.
- When you choose to meditate and medicate on God’s Word day and night, you are cooperating with God so He can freely operate in your life.
- Make a decision to meditate God’s Word. If you do, you will feed your faith and starve your doubts!
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. I bring my life into focus in 2016 by meditating and medicating on Your Word day and night. You are working on something in me. You go out of Your way to sow Your Word in my heart, because You are attempting to produce fruit from my life. I want You to operate IN, WITH and THROUGH me, so I cooperate with You. Instead of giving my attention and focus to the cares of this world, I give my attention and laser-focus to Your Word. I feed my faith and starve my doubts daily! This way, when people look at me, they will see the fruit Your Word is producing! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
