[Jesus continued explaining his parable of the soils, saying,] "The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful."
All sorts of things can distract us from Kingdom matters. The wear and tear of everyday life can make it hard to keep our spiritual focus. In an affluence-driven society, our desire for riches, our pursuit of material things, and our selfishness with wealth can entangle us. The worries of this life can stifle our faith. Eventually, the fruitfulness of the Gospel is choked out, and we lose our spiritual vitality. Our most valuable riches are found in Jesus, not in stuff that decays or can be stolen from us. If he is our priceless treasure, so his Kingdom must be our highest priority, then we can handle the other things that come our way (
Matthew 6:33).
Gracious Father, please help me faithfully use the blessings you have lavishly poured upon me. Please, Holy Spirit, don't let me be deceived or owned by the things I possess, nor do I want to covet what I do not have. Give me an undivided heart, Lord Jesus, about the matters of your Kingdom. Please bring to life the fruitfulness of a heart full of your grace. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
![Illustration of Matthew 13:22 — [Jesus continued explaining his parable of the soils, saying,] "The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful."](https://img.heartlight.org/overlazy/creations/326.jpg "Illustration of Matthew 13:22 — [Jesus continued explaining his parable of the soils, saying,] \"The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.\"")
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