Psalms 60-62
Romans 5
“Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the 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
Busyness is like a contagion that chokes, crushes or stifles us from seeing and hearing God as well as noticing and valuing people. What is possibly choking out the presence, the power of God in our life such that we cannot see and hear God and other people?
One possibility is the amount of time we spend scrolling on our social media. We may reason, “That’s how I stay connected to other people.” But in reality, is that truly connecting with others? Do we ever stop in the middle of scrolling, pick up the phone and call the person? In our generation, there is a dearth in people calling another person just to see how they are doing. We can see what the person may be doing in their lives but we are not connecting meaningfully with them. How about when a person posts a Bible verse on social media and we think it is nice, do we stop and think for a moment that maybe God is using that verse to speak to us?
Another is the amount of time we spend on streaming services. We read about the dysfunction, conflict, violence, sex and greed that are happening around the world, but then, to disconnect from reality, we binge watch conflict, violence, sex and greed on our devices. We also live in a capitalistic society, where shopping is one of our favourite pastimes. We distract ourselves with the next thing we need to buy—something shiny, something prettier, or something newer—but that emptiness is never filled.
Sometimes, we blame things or people for why we may feel distant from God and others. But what if the reason why is because we have allowed other stuff to come into our life that crushes the potential for relationship with God and with others? In the parable of the sower, Jesus tells the story of how the life of God is like a seed that gets sown into our hearts, but sometimes, it can get choked out. Do we know what chokes, crushes or stifles the presence and work of God in our life? In the parable, Jesus says it is “…the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things…” (Mark 4:19). In other words, it is possible that the busyness in our life makes it difficult for us to experience God and to see Him. In addition to choking out the presence of God, the things in our life may make it difficult for us to have meaningful and deep connections with other people.
What do we need to change in our life to have a meaningful relationship with God and with others?
Dear God, I know the changes that I need to make in my life to have a meaningful relationship with You and others. I ask You to give me a mindset to be intentional in putting it into practice. Thank You, Lord.
Romans 5
“Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the 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
Busyness is like a contagion that chokes, crushes or stifles us from seeing and hearing God as well as noticing and valuing people. What is possibly choking out the presence, the power of God in our life such that we cannot see and hear God and other people?
One possibility is the amount of time we spend scrolling on our social media. We may reason, “That’s how I stay connected to other people.” But in reality, is that truly connecting with others? Do we ever stop in the middle of scrolling, pick up the phone and call the person? In our generation, there is a dearth in people calling another person just to see how they are doing. We can see what the person may be doing in their lives but we are not connecting meaningfully with them. How about when a person posts a Bible verse on social media and we think it is nice, do we stop and think for a moment that maybe God is using that verse to speak to us?
Another is the amount of time we spend on streaming services. We read about the dysfunction, conflict, violence, sex and greed that are happening around the world, but then, to disconnect from reality, we binge watch conflict, violence, sex and greed on our devices. We also live in a capitalistic society, where shopping is one of our favourite pastimes. We distract ourselves with the next thing we need to buy—something shiny, something prettier, or something newer—but that emptiness is never filled.
Sometimes, we blame things or people for why we may feel distant from God and others. But what if the reason why is because we have allowed other stuff to come into our life that crushes the potential for relationship with God and with others? In the parable of the sower, Jesus tells the story of how the life of God is like a seed that gets sown into our hearts, but sometimes, it can get choked out. Do we know what chokes, crushes or stifles the presence and work of God in our life? In the parable, Jesus says it is “…the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things…” (Mark 4:19). In other words, it is possible that the busyness in our life makes it difficult for us to experience God and to see Him. In addition to choking out the presence of God, the things in our life may make it difficult for us to have meaningful and deep connections with other people.
What do we need to change in our life to have a meaningful relationship with God and with others?
Dear God, I know the changes that I need to make in my life to have a meaningful relationship with You and others. I ask You to give me a mindset to be intentional in putting it into practice. Thank You, Lord.
← Older Post Newer Post →