Longing For Fruit In My Christian Life. Mark 4:13-20

We wonder why we are not growing as Christians. We have God, church, the Bible, and fellowship, but we are the same old people we have always been. Jesus said something about this and similar conditions.

"Jesus said to them, "don't you understand this parable? 13. ...The farmer sows the word, 14. ... some people are like the seed along the path, 15. ... Others like the seed in rocky places.16... Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19. but worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word making it unfruitful." Mark 4:18-19.

When we read this and think it is about others who have yet to give their lives to God, they should do so before they become the seed that is lost, or have no root, or choked by the thorns. But Jesus told it not to explain others to us but to point out truths about ourselves.

CHOKE

"Choke" is a frightening word; when something is being choked, it does not get what it needs to survive, like air or nutrients. It can happen slowly and may not be noticed until too late. In the parable, it is the slow kind of choke.

WORRIES

It is easy to see why after the years, we are still unfruitful. We have worries over marriage, children, and careers. We struggle in our efforts to provide for our family, retirement, and kid's college. We have fallen to the seduction of "Other things" that we see on TV and other advertisements.

FRUIT NEEDS DEEP ROOTS

How can we prevent God's Word from being "choked" out of our hearts? We must:

• Be open to God's Word.
• Allow God's Word to establish deep roots.
• Ask God to protect my understanding of the Word from Satin's lies.
• Resolve to adhere to God's Word even in trials and persecution.
• Pray and repent of those things that choke God's Word.
• Beware the seduction of things and money.
• Pray for God to reveal His Word.

TIME IS A FACTOR

On the other hand, sometimes seeds just take a long time to grow, and sometimes fruit takes a long time to mature. Even though you may not have much to show for it now, you may still hope to be as: "Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop - thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." 20.

If you have not the fruit you long for, do not give up, and you will harvest a crop of blessing for yourself and many others.

© Adron 9/5/09