Note: Today is my 46th birthday. Thank you for being part of my life. I am thankful for every day and every year. Never take anything for granted. Thank God for everything!
Today we continue our series entitled, “Expecting the Word to Work!” This is part 28.
We have been studying the parable of the sower for over a month now. Within this study we have looked at the first two types of soil and we are looking at the third: thorny weeds. Let’s get back to it this morning. Jesus said:
“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.” (Mark 4:18,19)
We have been focusing in on the phrase, “the love of money”. Once again, money in and of itself is not evil. Paul told his spiritual son Timothy that, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Tim 6:10). The issue God has with money is when people put their confidence in it. I hope by now you equipped not to make that mistake.
Later in Paul’s letter to his son, Pastor Timothy, the Apostle said, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” (1 Tim 6:17-19 NIV). Let’s glean some golden nuggets from this today.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. T he point of the parable is to focus on the power of the Word. The seed sown in the parable is the Word. The Word is sown into our hearts. Once it is there, the Word has the power to produce in our lives. What Jesus is teaching against is getting distracted. Money, and the pursuit of it, can become a major distractor. If not dealt with, the pursuit of money can actually derail you from your destiny. Don’t chase money, chase purpose. If you do, the Word will work in your life, and your purpose will attract everything you need to fulfill it.
2. The Apostle Paul gave clear instructions to those who posses earthly wealth (see 1 Tim 6:17-19). He taught them to:
a) Remain humble. It often seems like earthly riches fuel arrogance. God can do a great deal through a rich person who is humble and submitted to Him, but if you allow wealth to cause you to cross over into pride, your pride will keep the Word from working in your life.
b) Never put your hope or confidence in money. The Bible is not against people have money (quite the contrary), but God is clearly against us putting our confidence in it. Going back to the parable of the sower, the seed (God’s Word) is sown in our hearts. In the case of the thorny ground, an ungodly lust for money is also there. If not corrected, the lust for money will actually choke-out the power of the Word from working in our lives. It is critical that we understand this. However, if we put our confidence in God, and His Word, and not in money, God can give us all the money we need to do what we were born to do.
c) Acknowledge the fact that earthly riches are “uncertain”. If you trust in money, instead of trusting in God, you will quickly find out how uncertain money can be.
3. It’s okay to enjoy things. The Bible says God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
a) Not only will our God bless us with what we need, but our God is not opposed to blessing us with things richly to simply ENJOY. God wants us to make it to heaven, but He also wants us to enjoy the ride! It’s okay to enjoy the things you are blessed to possess. Remember what Solomon said, “If God gives some people wealth, property, and the power to enjoy those things, they should enjoy them. They should accept the things they have and enjoy their work—that is a gift from God.” (Ecc 5:18-20).
b) Don’t love things, just enjoy them. God is okay with you enjoying what He blesses you with, but if you start loving ‘things’, you will have a problem.
4. Keep the emphasis on God, His Word, and your divine assignment. The point of the parable is to keep the emphasis on the seed, which is God’s Word. When God gives you a Word, He wants you to believe it. He wants you to live with an anticipation of it. Anticipation is fuel for your faith. Faith believes what God said. Your anticipation enables you to live with an expectation of manifestation. This is the point of this series. I believe God wants us to live with an expectation that every Word He has spoken to us shall come to pass in our lives BEFORE WE DIE! I want to see, IN MY HANDS, what God has revealed to me, IN MY HEART! And I want to see it WHILE I am in the land of the living. I know I am going to heaven some day. But I have a divine assignment NOW. I have things to do NOW! Today I turn 46 years young and I still have a long way to go. Purpose is in me. Destiny is in me. Power is in me. Grace is in me. And I am determined to DIE EMPTY. I want to arrive at God’s overall expected end for my life. I want to GET OUT of me everything God placed IN ME before the world began. I pray you have the same mindset.
Closing Confession:
Father, this is a season of expectation for me. My expectation is tied to Your Word, to my purpose, and to the plans You made for me before the world began. I live everyday with an expectation of manifestation. Every Word You have spoken over me shall come to pass while I am in the land of the living. I will complete my divine assignment BEFORE I DIE. I will DIE EMPTY. I will get OUT OF ME everything You placed IN ME before the world began. And I will do it all by Your amazing and unearned grace. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
