Matthew 13:7,22–Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them… 

As a kid I remember seeing dandelions littering a field, and we would run through them trying to spread the seeds that float around in the air.  I think we thought we were helping the plants grow more of them.  Now that I am an adult with a backyard, I can’t seem to get rid of them!  They grow without any help of me running through them and spreading them, they just take over!

I’ve found the only way to get rid of them naturally is to pluck them up one by one. Some are huge with deep roots, while some take little effort.  But if I let my yard go for two weeks, then it is like a safari of weeds overthrowing my grass, that could take hours to get rid of…

This is what Jesus was explaining in the parable of the soils, particularly the soil that had been overthrown by the thorns.  That we can read the Word, hear the Word preached, and even teach and preach the Word, yet it prove unfruitful because other cares have become priority.  But have you noticed that “other cares” are like the weeds or thorns, which grow without us praying for them to come, they just keep coming!

Faith mixed with hearing the Word is what causes it to be fruitful in our lives, and with faith comes an intentional focus on Jesus being the one we “cast our cares upon” (Hebrews 4:2, 1 Peter 5:7).  Being burdened with cares is “the air we breathe” as a society, saved or unsaved.  The difference that we have being people of faith, is that we have a heavenly Father who knows them, and will take care of them if we hand them over. (Luke 12:30)

Remember the life of faith is spiritual warfare, sometimes against evil, but many times against cares that come to distract us from seeking Christ and the Kingdom, for life and peace!

In His Love, Ld