Walking Thoughts

Responsibility is a part of life. It cannot be escaped.  Starting from our first assigned chores and homework, through managing a career, family, and a household, responsibilities drive our schedules.  Many of the tasks we undertake are in faithful stewardship of God's blessings in our lives, but many others are wasteful distractions from the most important and urgent duties we have everyday.

We can be made aware of the fruitless activities and time in our lives, but all too often, we are not aware of the overwhelming and devestating effect that our good endeavors have in our walks, attentions of heart, and ultimately our reception of Christ in our lives in a daily fashion.

No parable, I feel, more comprehensively addresses and covers this spiritual battle than that of the sower.  In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a parable of a man throwing seed on different types of soil.

And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears, let him hear."
Matthew 13:3-9

To anybody who is willing to listen to God's voice, Jesus says to hear what He's saying.  Jesus is, in effect, talking about the condition of our hearts.  He proposes four conditions (the path, rocky ground, thorns, and fertile soil) and four consequences of receiving God's word (the seed) in those conditions (birds devouring, ephemeral existence, oppression/neutralization, and fruitful production).  To prevent us from manipulating God's word in our own misinterpretations, Jesus Himself explains the relevance of this most important parable to those who will hear.

"Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
Matthew 13:18-23

From the outset, Jesus makes it clear that the locations described are indicative of the conditions of our heart. Notice how He describes the first situation, that is the seed spread on the path as the word sown in a man's heart.  So and so forth, the Lord shows us that the condition of our hearts will determine how we receive the seed of His word and the fruitfulness thereafter.  You see, the seed thrown on the path was no different than the seed thrown on the fertile soil, it was only the condition of heart that determined the reception of the seed and the consequent fruitfulness.

What does all this have to do with responsiblities in life? Let's examine the conditions again.  The first two heart conditions are both non-receptive, that is the condition of the soil itself prevented the growth to maturity and fruitfulness.  The latter two conditions depict receptive heart conditions!  It was an external condition and attention given to specific attributes of the world around the soil that prevented maturity and fruit!

Jesus cannot make it anymore clearer for us. He says, "the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."  We can strive and endeavor for good things like providing our family with food, education, a quality of living standard.  We can attain means to that end in transportation, a career or wealth accumulation.  But when all is said and done, these are all cares of this world that will cease to matter upon our death, our children's death, their children's death, and on and on for as long as humanity exists.  They are of no eternal consequence and provide no eternal benefit - yet they can have an enormous impact on our eternal perspective by causing us to set our minds on this world rather than His word.  This is no small matter.

Jesus explains that it's not a simple matter of salvation. It's not simply a parable of unbelievers hearing the word of the Gospel, but it's for believers as we continue to get to know and understand our God in spending time in His word (for as much as it is feasible for a finite creature to understand an infinite God with the help of the Holy Spirit).  We either come to our devotions (or rather come to Him) as a path, with no care at all being ruled by the call of disobedience, as rocky ground, being excited with what He shows us but not living it out because it's too "hard," as receptive soil, with schedules packed to the brim with urgent and important items that we highly value to the point that they are driving our attentions and minds, or as fertile soil, surrendered to the word of the Lord, minds kept on things above, ready to do His will thus glorifying His name in bearing fruit for the Kingdom.

We cannot change our hearts - but He can.  The Lord is gracious and desires to pour out His grace in our lives, to give us abundant life with hearts richly blessed with fruit.  He is longing to have a place in your heart, to dwell within us! Jesus speaks.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."
Revelation 3:20

Let us listen today and open the door of our hearts to Him and His transforming power.  Let us be receptive soil, with our attentions drawn and fixed on the author and perfector of our faith - Jesus Christ. He will bear fruit, let us ask Him to till our hearts and our minds for His glory.  With urgency, let us serve Him and not the cares of this world.  This is not a call to forego our responsibilities, but discern what the Lord has called us to do in faithfulness, not in busy-ness.  To honor Him in faithful stewardship as a secondary issue to the condition of our hearts before Him.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Matthew 6:19-24

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Colossians 3:2