14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
8:14
Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
The seed that fell among thorns represents those occupied with the concerns and anxieties of life. These anxieties cause them to reject the Word. Their focus on the wrong issues undermines the understanding of the message. The heart of their beliefs is material, not at the heart of Christ’s message.
There is an element of growth in this category, but it does not bear fruit. They become preoccupied with things other than the Word. They do not bring their “fruit to maturity.”
This category of believers allows rival issues to hinder their growth and fruit production. They would rather pursue the pleasures of life.
PRINCIPLE:
Believers occupied with priorities other than the Word of God crowd it out of their lives.
APPLICATION:
Some believers are so busy that they allow the Word of God to be crowded out of their lives. They place things of lesser value above the most important. They allow riches and pleasure to dominate them. The thorns of this world system will rob the believer of soul nourishment from the Word of God.
Some believers do not take the Word seriously; they do not allow it to engage with their souls. The worries of daily life and occupation with material goals blunt the engagement with the reality of the salvation-and-development message. The pursuits of their lives have nothing to do with engaging with eternal life principles. They experience a temporary discipleship by allowing something to choke their growth into maturity. Preoccupations other than the Word will prevent growth.
