Key Verse:
“Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.”
(Hebrews 13:5 HCSB)
Central Truth:
Be careful…don’t assume you’re good soil.
ARE YOU COMFORTABLE?
You might want to sit down. Are you comfortable? Alright, let’s begin:
I’m in the middle of reading a book called “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. To say that this book has been challenging thus far would be a complete understatement. Gut-wrenching.Excruciating. Mind-blowing. These would all be more appropriate terms.
There are so many amazing ideas and thoughts in this book. Let’s take a look at one in particular:
“In the parable of the sower, Jesus explained that the seed is the truth (the Word of God). When the seed is flung onto the path, it is heard but quickly stolen away. When the seed is tossed onto the rocks, no roots take hold; there is an appearance of depth and growth because of the good soil, but it is only surface level. When the seed is spread among thorns, it is received but soon suffocated by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures. But when the seed is sown in good soil, it grows, takes root, and produces fruit.
My caution to you is this: Do not assume you are good soil.
I think most American churchgoers are the soil that chokes the seed because of all the thorns. Thorns are anything that distracts us from God. When we want God and a bunch of other stuff, then that means we have thorns in our soil. A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions, or commitments are piled on top of it.”
Ouch. I think I’ve always assumed that once I became a “Christian” that I was good soil. I mean, I have His Spirit living inside me; so that makes me good soil, right? I try to read my Bible everyday; so that makes me good soil, right? I go to church almost every Sunday and I volunteer in a ministry there; so that makes me good soil, right? I write a check every other week when I get paid (well, actually, my wife does that part) and I give it to the church; so that makes me good soil, right?
Um…not so fast there Speed Racer.
Paul talks here about being free from the love of money. But it’s really about so much more than money. It’s about being free from anything that would choke out our relationship to our Holy God.
Does your job glorify God? Is working there what God wants you to be doing? Is going to every sporting event for every team around enhancing your relationship with Jesus? Is having your child in every activity you can fit in making your time with God flourish? Does having all that money bring you closer in your walk with Jesus? What about the mile long to-do list, the obsession with “Inbox Zero,” or the necessity with having to be up to date on everyone’s latest status on Facebook or Twitter? Are these things allowing you to grow, take root, and produce fruit for the Kingdom of God?
I think a lot of people will tell you that there is nothing wrong with any of these things. And they’re right, technically. Sporting events are fun and even Jesus enjoyed a good party. It’s important for your kids to be involved in activities that will grow their skills and abilities as well. But if any of these things (or anything else for that matter) are getting in the way and choking out your relationship with God, then they’ve got to go. This is something that I am deeply struggling with too. Reading this book and writing this devotion have been extremely convicting for me. I desperately want to be good soil!
Basically what it all boils down to is that all the things that we have, all the money (whether we love it or just tolerate it), all the things that we do and say…they all mean nothing if we don’t pour it all out as an offering to the One who poured out His life for us. If we don’t love the Creator of the Universe with an out-of-this-world kind of love, then we’re just a noisy gong, or a clanging symbol. We’re lukewarm, halfhearted Christians. And, according to Francis, that makes us not really “Christians” at all. We’re just people playing the game, trying to “fake it ‘til we make it.”
Are you still comfortable?
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