by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

Mark 4:3,7
"Behold, the sower went out to sow...And other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop."

Maybe you've experienced the hope of planting a new garden or lawn. You had a snapshot in your mind of what it would look like-high expectations of vegetable-laden plants or of your neighbor looking enviously at your lush, green lawn. But you discovered that good gardens and thick, carpet-like lawns don't grow naturally. Weeds do.

Pulling weeds and planting seeds. It's the story of life. We are individual lots on which either weeds of selfishness or the fruit of the Holy Spirit grow and flourish. Jesus warned that the soil of our hearts is the most valuable acreage on planet earth.

In Mark 4, Jesus taught the parable of the soils to His disciples. Christ said that spiritual fruitfulness or barrenness depends upon the type of soil that receives the seed of God's Word.

Jesus warned of the choking influence of thorns-three kinds of pesky, prickly weeds that squeeze the life out of fruit-producing seedlings.

The worries of the world, the anxieties of this age, are the first weeds of which Jesus warned. Worry or anxiety means "to be drawn in different directions" or "to be distracted."

What distracts you? What pulls you in a direction you know is unfruitful? For me it can be busyness. A full schedule of good things that crowds out the best-like time in the morning spent in prayer and the Scripture. I can be distracted by urgent things which could be put off for just a few minutes.

Some people are distracted and worried about what others think about them, preoccupied with pleasing men and gaining their approval. Still others are pulled by their insecurities, trying to find significance in achieving and performing.

Good marriages and families don't grow naturally-weeds do. That's why it's so important that we listen to the words of the Master Gardener, Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

That God would use your mate to keep you accountable to live by God's priorities.

Discuss: What things distract you from a life of fruitfulness? What "worries of the world" influence you?

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