Matthew, Mark, and Luke all
record the sower parable which, if taken together, paints a complete picture of
the different heart responses to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Of the four heart-soil types presented, the
one most representative of the body of Christ today is the thorny-soil-heart.
Now I know the answer that gets the smile, the buzzer and the prize behind door
number four is the good-soil-heart, but this simply is not true. Just look around at all the “western cultural
Christians”; in fact, maybe we should look at our own heart. The four
characteristics of Thornbushers as documented in the gospels all deal with the
allure of the world: 1) The desire for riches. 2) The desire for worldly
pleasures. 3) The desire for non-spiritual things. 4) The preoccupation with
the cares of this life. Life in the thorn bushes divides our mind, distracts us
from God’s purposes, makes us vulnerable to temptation and sin, and, ultimately,
chokes out the living word leaving us worried, unstable, and anxious. Thorn
cluttered hearts have good intentions but they are deceived, thinking they can concurrently
abide in Christ and abide in the world... the very thing He died to save us
from. If we think of love for God as a canoe and love for the world as a canoe
and then try to float the river of life with one foot in each canoe... well,
you get the picture.
Our spiritual quest begins in
the thorn bushes of life in this world, where the desire for pleasure, riches, "other”
earth bound things, and the cares of this life -- worry about our stuff -- will,
if left unchallenged, slowly “strangle the
divine seed birthed within. Thornland… the world, is suppose to be a pilgrimage
into transformation by way of jungle warfare: Diligent study of God's word fuels
the Spirit's work within, equipping us for spiritual battle, and setting in
place the foundational cornerstone of our faith walk – transformation into Christlikeness.
Our pilgrimage is not out of Thornland for we are to be “in” the world but not
“of” the world. Our pilgrimage is into Christlikeness where we learn to live
overcoming lives among the thorns. But some
of us have given up our pilgrimage. We no longer are seeking a city not made
with human hands. We have become enthralled with lovers less wild. Failing to
study to show ourselves approved – failing to submit our Self to the Lordship
of Jesus – failing to drag Self to the Cross – failing to be conformed into the
nature of Christ, we have become property owners in Thornland, and built our
homes there. Though we still profess our Christian faith we do not possess our
Savior’s nature, looking much more like Thornland than like Jesus... wearing
His lapel pin without emulating His lifestyle...
EndNote: The Sower Parable says
the thorns of our desires for the things of this life choke the word of God.
“Choke” here is to literally choke by suffocation and is Luke’s word for
suffocation by drowning. The thought here is of a fragile new spiritual
creation being suffocated to death, drowning in a sea of competing carnal
interests... the thorns of our desires for the world. The thorny hearted are
addicts with hearts and minds set on the enticements of life in this fallen
world. This worldly mind-set effectively neutralizes... suffocates, the
renewing of the mind on things above which is so essential to ongoing spiritual
transformation. We literally strangle the voice of God! The thorny heart’s
mantra cry, “Your Best Life Now”, is most prevalent in the church today,
contradicting and ignoring the Father’s eternal plan for “Your Best Life
Later.” Thornbushers foster much more than demonic “toe-holds” allowing
strongholds -- fortified fortresses of thoughts -- to rise mystically within
the spirit realm of their hearts, becoming slaves to the very things they
yielded to and providing doors of ready on-going access to the world’s
temptations. “Do not love the word or the things in the world” is a command in
the present imperative, indicating continuous action will be required to defeat
our Self’s desires for the world... the alternative is drowning...
WEARING HIS LAPEL PIN...
WITHOUT EMULATING HIS LIFESTYLE...
WITHOUT EMULATING HIS LIFESTYLE...
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