Seeds on Thorns.

"The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." (Matthew 13: 22).

Unfruitful faith is the result of distracted hearts. Choked by the things of this world, by the daily, the mundane. Distracted by our fears, worries, concerns. Knotted by our introspection which stare us focusing at ourselves. Mounded by lies. Lies of words -- the worries that wrench at us like a gnarled witch's and twist into our thoughts and hearts until we no longer see out of them -- and lies of worldly things. That heaping desire to acquire and appear and attain.

The seed falls on good soil, on the heart of a believer, ripened to grow. The ground has been tilled and planted, good has great possibility of blooming. But the life from this soil bears nothing. Why?

Worries. Worries kill faith, kill fruitfulness. I wrote a statement down several years and resonates with me weekly and I pledge it over my heart: Fear is the opposite of faith. Worry is fear. We become so consumed in ourself, our plans, our ideas, our thoughts, our busyness that the running keeps us from using that energy to build the Kingdom and grow closer to the Father (The Chase). If a we are consumed inwardly, it is difficult to grow and bud outwardly.

Secondly, wealth in itself isn't bad. It is the deceitfulness of wealth that kills the fruitfulness of faith, thus the fruitfulness of the gospel, of the heart. Jesus knew many wealthy, they were the Lydia's that spun cloth, the Nicodeamus' that sat at the city gate, the Simons who welcomed him in. He did not question their wealth. He loved them, deeply. And was blessed by their use of wealth -- providing meals for him and his disciples, home to sleep in at night, and secure Senators even who believed his Truth.

Jesus' problem is wealth is a heart matter. It's like reading about David, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart" (I Samuel 16:7). Christians can have wealth, as long as it is not their idol (Matthew 6:24). The Lord cares about generosity, integrity, character, serving. Dollar signs are indifferent in his book. He can use us with little, lots, or none. But for the gospel to be alive and prospering in us, it is important that our heart (perspective and financial use) is not deceived by the lure of wealth, but rather is trained to use it to honor truth, life, and the Kingdom.