Riches & Pleasures Choke

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This week, let's turn our focus to "the thorns grew up with it and choked it…[the word of God] are choked by…riches and pleasures of life." We wonder how blessings of riches and pleasures of life can choke the word of God. To form an answer, we'll be covering some passages from the Old and New Testament as we contemplate the truth of when and how the thorn of riches and pleasures can choke the word of God.

The word "riches" from this parable is defined as wealth, possessions, and income. It brings to mind Jesus' comment to his disciples in Mark 10:25, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God," which is best explained by King Solomon in Ecclesiastes 5:10-20 where he elaborates on how and when riches are meaningless. Throughout the New

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it…And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

-Luke 8:7, 14 (ESV)

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Testament, Jesus provides shorter summaries as follows: (a) Jesus notes that your heart will be focused on what you treasure (Luke 12:34), (b) a person cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24), (c) that it is better to "lay up for yourself treasures in heaven" than on earth as earthly possessions will die, decay or may be stolen from you (Matthew 6:19-21), and (d) do not be anxious about anything, for if you "seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you." (Luke 12:22-34)

Next, the word "pleasures" from this parable is defined as self-indulgence. This definition helps to clarify how "pleasures" are thorns that choke the word of God. The main focus of "pleasures" is on one's self, NOT on God. King Solomon experimented pursuing all the pleasures he could to see the meaningfulness of the pursuit of pleasure and found it to be meaningless because "there was nothing to be gained under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11). Contrasting King Solomon's experiment, Paul tells believers "to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Thus, believers "do not conform to this world, but are transformed by the renewal of [their] mind." (Romans 12:1-2)

Have you ever let riches and pleasures choke the word of God in your life? When this happened, how did you break free to let the word of God work in you?