302 - The Parable of the Sower 3 - Sown Among Thorns#
302 - The Parable of the Sower - Sown Among Thorns
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The title of the sharing is: The Third Lecture of the Parable of the Sower, Sown Among Thorns.
Mark 4:18-19
And those sown among thorns are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Let us pray together first:
Heavenly Father, thank You and praise You! A new week of life has begun, and we first receive the word from You, receiving supply, so that we have wisdom to live in this world, knowing that we can pray to You when we encounter problems. No matter what our difficulties are, there are answers with You. Please lead the brothers and sisters to receive supply. Thank You and praise the Lord! May the Holy Spirit renew each person's thoughts and intentions, allowing us to escape the temptations of the world and enjoy freedom and grace in You. Thank You and praise You! In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
Today we share the parable of the sower: Sown Among Thorns
As we know, in the plant kingdom, when seeds or seedlings grow, if there are thorns growing nearby, they grow slowly. Therefore, we cannot let these two grow together; if they grow together, the thorns will definitely grow faster. Do you know why? Why do seeds not have the vigorous life force of thorns? Thorns do not need fertilization; they grow particularly lush. There are also some spiritual meanings here that I will share with you today.
When plants are choked by thorns, they cannot bear fruit because they cannot absorb nutrients and sometimes do not receive sunlight, making it impossible to bear fruit. Similarly, those who have accepted Jesus can be bound by the worries of this life, wealth, and pleasures… and cannot see the blessings that God has for them.
This is why some Christians have believed in the Lord for many years, yet their lives have not changed, and they do not see what the Lord has done. It is not that God has not done anything; it is that their eyes are often blinded, just like when Jesus went to preach in Judea, many people's eyes were blinded and could not recognize that He was the Son of God. If they had acknowledged that He was the Son of God, the Savior, they would have sought Jesus in all matters. Many people thought He was just a prophet or a doctor. If you think Jesus is just a doctor, you will only seek Him when you are sick.
When you finish seeing a doctor, does the doctor say goodbye? No, we say goodbye to friends when we chat. The doctor will not say goodbye because that is inappropriate.
Brothers and sisters, in Jesus Christ, we have God's blessings. The blessings that God gives us are abundant and extend to all areas of life. In every profession and in life, no matter what problems we encounter, we should think of Jesus as the Savior. The meaning of Savior is that no matter what problem it is, He can solve it. If you think Jesus is a prophet, He can be a prophet; if you think He is a doctor, He can be a doctor; if you think He is your mentor, He can be your mentor; but if you believe He can save your life, He can save your life.
We need to have a correct understanding of Jesus. Today, many believers are extremely busy and physically and mentally exhausted. Many people do not even have time to read the Bible or pray, so they cannot receive the light and nourishment that God gives them. This is the reason. When chatting with some people, influenced by legalistic thinking in the past, if one does not pray or read the Bible for a week, the pastor would say, "Are you still a Christian?" Is there a sense of condemnation in your heart? We say, "Yes, how can I still call myself a Christian when I haven't prayed or read the Bible for a week?" If you have not read the Bible or prayed for a week and feel a sense of condemnation, that is incorrect. You should feel hungry.
It is like not eating for three days; when you see food, you would not say, "How terrible I am for wanting to eat." Is that correct? You are hungry, and seeing food should make you happier. So if you have not read the Bible or prayed for a week, coming to the house of God should make you feel, "Lord! I really feel the warmth of home." This is why many believers, after wandering for many years, return to the church and, upon hearing the message about Jesus Christ, cannot stop their tears and feel particularly warm in their hearts because they have been away for too long.
When they return, the Heavenly Father is embracing them at that moment. Many people are coming to church for the first time and also feel this warmth, perhaps during the singing of hymns or during the sermon, their hearts suddenly feel particularly warm. This is the work of the Holy Spirit upon you; He is illuminating you and providing you with nourishment. Hallelujah!
He knows what we need. Brothers and sisters, if we are choked by some things in this world, we cannot see God's grace and power. Praying before the Lord is actually enjoying being in the presence of God, and listening to the word is also enjoying being in the presence of God. Just as plants enjoy nourishment when illuminated by sunlight, our spiritual lives also need to connect with our Lord every day, and bearing fruit is a natural outcome.
Today we are talking about the third type; the first type is sown by the roadside, and the birds come and eat it; the second type is sown on shallow rocky ground, and because it has no root, when the sun shines, the seedlings wither; the third type is sown in the soil, but there are thorns nearby.
Brothers and sisters, do you think the third type is a believer or a non-believer? The seed of faith has already fallen into the soil, but there are extra things nearby. Their life is still saved; however, the characteristic of such a person is that they are saved but cannot be victorious in life. I will describe the characteristics of the third type of person: they hear the word but do not act on it.
Looking around, are there not many such people? We particularly envy those successful Christians, like the Jews. Look how smart they are; I don't know how their brains are structured. So many inventions and creations in the world have come from them. Why are their brains so smart? Some say they are God's chosen people. Are you one of God's chosen people? Yes. Some say Christians have the Spirit of God in their hearts, so shouldn't we be living better than the world?
If you have God in your heart and are living worse than the world, where is the problem? Is it that God has a problem? Does God not love you or supply you? No, the problem is that there are thorns around you. What needs to be removed? The thorns, not the people. If you remove the people, won't the thorns grow even better?
In the Gospel of John, Jesus made a metaphor: I am the vine; you are the branches. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit is taken away. What does "taken away" mean here? In the original text, it means lifted up. If you have ever planted grapevines, you should know that grapevines that crawl on the ground do not bear fruit; they must be lifted up to bear fruit.
After being lifted up, there is still one more thing to do, which is to clean and prune. The law says: "If you do not bear fruit, you are cut off and thrown into hell." What if you bear little fruit? You are pruned. In this way, does believing in the Lord become painful? Whether you bear fruit or not, there is no good outcome.
But brothers and sisters, what does that passage mean? It means if you bear little fruit and can see even a little bit of God's grace and blessing in your life, just like some people say, "I pray about small matters, and God answers," but why does God not listen in big matters? This is when you see a little bit; at this time, God says, "For those who bear little fruit, I will prune you clean."
What does Jesus want to prune away? The fruit farmer or those who prune grapevines do not cut off the branches that bear fruit normally but the excess branches. Just like when we go to the wheat field to weed, we do not remove the wheat seedlings but remove the weeds next to the wheat seedlings, removing those thorns. Jesus did not come to cut you off; He came to cut away the things in your life that should not be there, so that you can live out the likeness of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Therefore, we need to listen to the word, which is crucial, and at the same time, we need to live out what we hear, listening to the word must also be acting on it.
James 1:22-25
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
James emphasizes here the importance of being justified in the sight of men through actions. Those who are already saved should not keep saying they need to strive to become righteous; you do not need to. You are already righteous. After becoming righteous, what you need to do is to live out the righteousness within you, which is what we call doing righteousness, not striving to do it ourselves.
Look here, you must act on the word, not just hear it, which proves that hearing the word is very important, but acting on it is also very important. If you hear the word but do not act on it, you are deceiving yourself. What does this mean? If you only hear the word, even if it is the word of grace, hearing it a lot without practicing it becomes mere knowledge, mere theory, and is self-deception.
For example, we tell you that Jesus took all your curses on the cross so that you do not have to live in sickness. You know this and receive it, but when sickness comes, what is your reaction? Some people's reaction is, "Lord, why have You given me this sickness?"
Some say, "Lord! Why don't You heal me?" Both of these reactions belong to the response of not acting on the word. So what should you do in such situations? Boldly exercise your authority: In the name of the Lord Jesus, command this sickness to leave my body. Amen! This is what Jesus usually did in the four Gospels. Jesus was a doer of the word; the word became flesh. When we see Jesus, we know that He is the word. In the past, people sought the word, which is Jesus. When Jesus walked, He was acting on the word.
When Jesus encountered these difficulties, He did not say, "Wow! What a serious problem..." He never described how big the problem was; He just went to solve the problem. Therefore, if you only hear and do not practice, it is equivalent to comforting yourself, saying that God will always solve it. In the face of sickness, we say, "After all, everyone has to die," is this a valid comfort? This is the mindset of an unbeliever, comforting themselves, deceiving themselves.
God does not want us to live like this because when people hear the word but do not act on it, it is like looking at their natural face in a mirror. To this day, can you immediately draw your appearance? It is a bit difficult, right? Unless there is a photo to refer to, you can draw it. You look in the mirror and then draw, but it seems like something is missing.
Actually, this is what the Bible tells us. If you only hear the word and do not act on it, it is like a person who takes a glance in the mirror, "I know, this is me," and then turns around, almost forgetting what they looked like. Therefore, brothers and sisters, during this process of hearing the word, many people are filled with excitement, thinking that the Lord is truly wonderful, and they want to live this way when they get home, but once they step out the door, they forget. In reality, this is a lack of determination to live out the word, resulting in forgetting.
Verse 25 is something we need to understand: only those who look intently into the perfect law of liberty and continue in it will be blessed in what they do.
Is the law mentioned here the Ten Commandments of Moses? The law of liberty does not bind people; it actually liberates them. Just like all people live under the law, living in bondage, when you have shortcomings, others will point them out without hesitation, and that is not freedom.
When you fail, many people look down on you; that is not freedom; it brings you bondage. But today, here, God tells us that you need to look intently at the law that can set you free. What law is that? The command of Jesus Christ, the law of love, is the law that brings you freedom and release. Amen!
For example, a person who cannot live without alcohol is already bound by alcohol. When he understands the love of Christ, those bindings fall off instantly. Some people are very fearful about their future and do not know how to live, but if they are filled with the love of Christ, they will immediately be set free. Amen! You should often meditate on the words of Jesus Christ, the commands of Jesus Christ; if you often think about them, you will be free. Amen.
Brothers and sisters, I encourage you to meditate more on God's words. Every morning, I will send you daily grace points and many small devotions that you can read. After reading, meditate on them, and then try to apply them in your life. As long as you practice them, the blessings will come upon you.
Practicing it will ensure that you will be blessed in what you do.
You see, our Lord speaks very definitively; He did not say, "If you practice it, you might be blessed." No! As long as you act on that matter, you will be blessed in that matter. For example, many people are very fearful about their marriages. Can you let Jesus into your marriage? Your marriage will be blessed. You say you are very worried about your work this year; let Jesus into your work, commit it to Jesus every day, and let Jesus give you wisdom, and you will be blessed in that matter.
The Jews are not that much smarter than us; they just often meditate on God's promises, and they meditate on the Pentateuch. Today, we meditate on the words of Jesus Christ. Is that not more blessed and freer than their blessings? Look at Deuteronomy 28; you will be blessed when you go out and when you come in. You should write My commandments, statutes, and ordinances on the city gates, write them on the walls of your house so that you can see them. They really did this.
Jews have something hanging on their door, and inside is scripture. Before they go out, they kiss that scripture, meaning: "Lord! I am going out, and because of Your words, I will go out in peace and come back blessed." When they return, they kiss that scripture again; it is still scripture, just wrapped up and hanging there. Their city gates are filled with scripture, and the purpose of writing these is to let them meditate, to see and think. Amen!
For example, when you see "Love never fails," you know that Jesus' love for you will never stop. At any time, He loves you. Amen! When you look back at "My cup overflows," what do you see? God's blessings are abundant, allowing you to overflow. He gives it to you this way; no matter what you think about, you will receive this blessing in that matter. Amen! So I hope that this year, brothers and sisters, you will work, live, and view everyone around you with this hope; you are blessed.
Sharing the first point: The entanglement of thorns leads to an inability to receive supply from God.
Have you ever thought about when thorns first appeared in the Bible? Let's take a look at Genesis 3:17-18,
17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.
At this time, thorns and thistles first appeared in the Bible because of man's sin, and the ground was cursed. Before Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, there were no thorns and thistles in the world, and Adam did not need to sweat to make a living. Women did not suffer pain in childbirth. Before this, everything was good. The dividing line was when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the curse began to appear on the earth. Some people ask, what does the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represent? Does that fruit have some special function? Did the curse come upon eating it? Actually, it represents man's choice.
There are two particularly important trees in the Garden of Eden: the first tree is the tree of life, representing Jesus Christ; the second tree is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, representing the law. In other words, when you choose to live by the law, you are destined to be busy and responsible for yourself from that moment on.
But let me ask everyone, who can be responsible for their own life? Some say, "I exercise, which is being responsible for my life." Is that really the case? If you work hard to earn more money and eat well, is that being responsible for your life? Not necessarily. Many people eat well, live well, and play well, and then die within a week.
No one can be responsible for their own life, just like we do not know when we will die. How can you be responsible for your life? To put it another way, if you cannot be responsible for yourself, how can you be responsible for your children and your family? You cannot do it. Therefore, too many parents today worry: How will my child live in the future? The housing prices are so high; in twenty years, this kid will definitely not be able to marry. You worry too much; you cannot even be responsible for your own life. The simplest way is to hand it over to Jesus. Amen!
So what are your thorns? When people start to rely on themselves and detach from the grace of Jesus Christ, thorns appear. Just like the scripture says, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife and eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': because you have eaten, the function of the law begins to take effect in you, and the ground is cursed because of you." So from that moment on, people must toil to make a living. Is it not like this today?
Whether in the city or the countryside, one must work hard; otherwise, if given a choice, would you still get up at six in the morning? Is that not a very obvious principle? Today, people get up early and regularly, going to work regardless of wind or rain, because they must toil to make a living. Do you understand? What is life? It is just to survive.
Under the law, no matter how well you do, it is just to survive. But in Christ? Not only to survive but to live more abundantly. Amen! You must break free from the curse and the thorns for the seedlings to grow better. Thorns have three characteristics, as mentioned in the scripture: the worries of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things choke the word.
Sharing the first characteristic of thorns: the worries of this world.
Now we live in a society filled with tension and busyness. More and more people worship money, more and more people are materialistic, pursuing material things and pleasures, even working hard to earn money and enjoy themselves. At this moment, there is also a huge crisis: people are too busy. How busy are they? They do not have time to rest. Not everyone can come to church every Sunday; it is not that they do not want to come. Some really want to come, but they cannot. Why? Mortgage, car loan, children’s schooling, supporting elderly parents, various debts… They think, "I cannot take a day off; I must work hard." Some people work three or four jobs a day. The worries of this world have forced them to live like this.
Not long ago, while on a business trip, the driver was chatting and said, "Young man, do you know? Just at this intersection, a thirty-year-old young man collapsed and died at two in the morning yesterday."
I asked, "What happened?"
He said, "This young man had been working continuously for a month. He has two children in school and has a mortgage and car loan. He was working hard to earn money driving for Didi. His wife could not work, so he put a blanket in the trunk and rotated shifts 24 hours a day. Whenever there was no order, he would spread the blanket in there and sleep for a while, but the phone was on 24 hours. As soon as there was an order, he would get up and work, day and night, for a whole month… Suddenly, one day in the early morning, he collapsed at the intersection and never woke up again."
Brothers and sisters, he indeed earned nearly twenty thousand yuan in a month, but what did he pay for it? Would you want to live like this? What if it were a hundred thousand a month? A million? Some people say yes. In fact, this is the worry of the world that has forced him to do this, making him busy because he is entangled in worries, even exhausted.
What I just mentioned is about the world, but many Christians are often like this. When a person detaches from God's supply, it is equivalent to being surrounded by thorns. When thorns grow high, seeing them makes one anxious. What to do? How to overcome them? The more you think this way, the less nourishment you receive because the sunlight cannot reach you; it is all blocked by the thorns. What you see are your problems, your car loans, your mortgages, and various problems at home, and you do not know what to do. This is because you have overlooked one thing: receiving God's supply.
Some say, "I do not like to pray." Do you know? This is the way out; some say, "I do not like listening to the word, I do not like reading the Bible." Actually, this is your way out. What we are unwilling to do is precisely what the devil has deceived us into doing because you have neglected the most important thing, so problems keep arising. Brothers and sisters, it is time to adjust the order. The way to remove these worldly worries is to recognize the supply that God gives you.
Matthew 6:25-29,
25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Can you imagine what kind of audience Jesus was addressing when He spoke these words? They were worried. But I think at that moment, Jesus was preaching in the wilderness, so He said, "Look at the lilies of the field; who gives them such beautiful adornment? Since they grow in the wilderness, why are they so beautiful?" In our view, should not beauty be used in the most conspicuous places? If it is not important, then it should not be so beautiful.
Actually, it is not. Look at the people in the world; some people dress beautifully on the outside, but their homes are a mess, right? Some say, "After all, no one sees my home." But what does God give you? He wants you to be the best in every area and at every level, just like the lilies of the field. No one sees them, but the Heavenly Father says, "I want to give you the best, even better than what Solomon wore in his most glorious time."
Even today, with such advanced industry, if you look at the clothes made by humans under a magnifying glass, you cannot see the various things inside, and they are extremely rough. But when you look at a lily or a small flower in the field and put it under a microscope magnified a thousand times, the more you look, the more amazing it becomes. Wow! How beautiful! This is God's creation. Amen!
Through this, what does Jesus want to tell us? Do not worry. When you do not know God and cannot see the Father's supply, you begin to worry. Therefore, brothers and sisters, this year you should live in hope. Life still needs to be lived, but it should be lived better. Adjust the order a bit. Hallelujah!
First, see God's supply, and then those thorns will not be able to surpass you. Unless you cannot see God's supply, you will see various problems. This is why many people have one problem blocked, and another problem arises, making themselves extremely busy. If you hand them all over to Jesus, wouldn’t that be much simpler?
It is the same in the church. If I start dealing with your problems, I would not need to do anything else and would lose sleep at night. But I have a secret weapon; do you know what it is? No matter what problems you encounter, I can bring you before Jesus, and then Jesus will solve your problems. At first, it may not work, but I can teach you how to rely on Jesus. In the future, you will know how to teach others to rely on Jesus. In this way, our lives will become easier and simpler, and your testimonies will keep coming out. At that time, you will also tell others not to worry.
How did Jesus encourage these listeners? He said, "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap." The meaning of Jesus saying this is that we do sow, reap, and store in barns, but what do people get? The birds do not sow, do not reap, and the Heavenly Father feeds them, yet we sow, reap, and store in barns and live in worry.
If birds could talk to humans, they would not understand why people live like this. They would say, "Wow! You have several million in savings, almost a hundred million, why are you still living so busily every day?" People would say, "If I do not live like this, the company will collapse." The birds would say, "I do not understand human thinking; I can live happily." God wants us to live joyfully. Amen! I am not against everyone saving money; I just want to tell you not to be influenced by it, letting it become your worry. This is the worry of the world.
What Jesus said is, "Which of you can add a cubit to his stature by worrying?" This is a rhetorical question, meaning that those who worry too much are destined not to live long. If you visit those who live longer, they will tell you to worry less. If you want to live longer, just relax a bit. Some say, "That won't work; my child is so big now; I cannot rest easy." Worrying does not help; they may not listen to you.
So wise parents, after their children get married, should learn to keep one eye open and one eye closed. Do not think that since you have lived more than half your life, you cannot live like this anymore. Let them live; learn to let go. In this way, you can live longer, and they will worry less. If you worry about them every day, in the end, you will become sick, and instead of being a blessing to them, you will become their burden and worry. Therefore, Jesus tells us here not to worry. The simplest way to remove worry is to recognize the supply that Jesus gives you. If people do not know how great Jesus' supply is, they will begin to worry. No matter what you do, if you do not recognize Jesus' grace, you will worry.
Luke 10:41-42
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."
Martha was cooking in the kitchen, which is not wrong in itself, but she was doing it with worry and anxiety, and that is where the problem lies. I do not oppose everyone working or going to work; I hope everyone does better. The better way is to first do the most important thing. What was Mary doing? She sat at Jesus' feet and listened to Jesus preach. What are you doing now? You are also sitting at Jesus' feet, listening to Him preach. Sitting down is enjoying rest. When you sit down and receive the words of Jesus, when you stand up again, you will be filled with strength.
But most people keep working… How long can you work like this? You have to sit down and rest. So in seven days, you can work six days, but you must give yourself a day of rest.
Every day is the same; after getting up, let the words of Christ fill your heart before you go to work, and you will be filled with strength. Some people work while humming hymns, happily going through the day, while others get up in the morning and say, "Oh! How will I get through this day? How will I survive until I am seventy or eighty?"
But if you have God's grace in your heart, every day is different. Amen! Although the sun is the same, people are different, and the things you experience are also different. Every day has God's fresh supply, so you should learn to be like Mary, coming to Jesus first to receive His supply. This is the most important thing. Once you do this, everything else becomes simple. Therefore, when Mary gets up to serve, she is filled with strength. This is also our way to remove worries: coming before Jesus to recognize His goodness. This is our path to blessing. Amen!
The second characteristic of thorns: the deceitfulness of riches.
Some people work early and late, overtime, and even do three or four jobs, working day and night just to earn more money. But do you know what Jesus said? What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? If you were given the whole world but lost your life, would you want that? How many people have you seen around you who died young, working overtime in their thirties, and then suddenly collapsed? Do you want that kind of life? We all understand this principle. Some say, "There is no way; I cannot escape; without money, I cannot live."
A few days ago, I was chatting with someone, and he asked me, "How many children do you have?"
I said, "Two."
He said, "Oh! Then your pressure must be quite big."
I said, "I have not noticed; one is to raise, and two are also to raise."
He said, "I am worried about one child now; how will he marry in the future?"
I said, "Who knows what will happen in twenty years? In the past, the previous generation had seven or eight children, and they still lived well."
He said, "The times are different; the further we go, the harder it is for children. There is no money."
I said, "Do not worry about the next generation; each generation has its way of living."
We must relax. If you want to save more money for your children now, it may not be useful later. Those who understand finance know that all currencies depreciate over time. The money you save may not be worth much then. Just like now, saving one million yuan to buy a house, can you ensure that one million yuan will still buy a house ten years later? Therefore, the most important way is to give Jesus to your children, to your parents, to your friends. If they have wisdom, they can live well in this generation at any time and anywhere. Hallelujah!
Brothers and sisters, you must adjust this order. Sunday is the first day of the week. I hope everyone first receives His word and goes through this week with that strength. Every day, get up and read a passage of scripture or listen to a segment of the word. Our daily devotion only takes two minutes. Bring that faith and that word into your life, and every day will be different. You must adjust this order. The Bible has many descriptions of wealth, just to tell us not to be deceived by it.
Proverbs 23:4-5,
4 Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! 5 Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.
Do you know how Jews view money? They believe that wealth is like flowing water; it is alive. Today it is in your pocket, but tomorrow it may not be there. Some say, "It is still in my pocket," but it has already flowed away. Just like I said earlier, it depreciates every day, which is equivalent to flowing away.
When I was young, a hundred yuan could last a long time, but now a trip to the supermarket is not enough. You put it in your pocket; it seems to be there, but in reality, it has already flowed away. Therefore, the Jewish concept is to give children a skill and not leave too much wealth for them. This is why many people in Europe and America donate everything when they get old. In fact, they have already taught their children how to make money. They do not care whether their children have money or not; they can live well. This is actually the method Jesus gives us: do not labor to be rich.
Are we like this? A few days ago, I saw a piece of text shared on social media, written by Buffett. He said, "If your mind is filled with money-saving techniques, you will have no space to earn money, and you will be poor very steadily." Many people keep thinking about saving money. We work hard, and our parents earn a little and save it. You only think about saving and never think about earning more. Should not our thinking change? In the past, our parents' generation saved because they could not earn, so they had to save, buying the cheapest. In fact, this saving mindset is a poverty mindset.
We should not save our lives; we should think: "Lord! You give me inspiration so that I can earn more." Amen! This is how you are not deceived by wealth because money is for us to use, not to deceive us. Do not let money use you; use money to love others. Amen!
Too many people become estranged from their relatives for the sake of money, but you should turn it around and use money to love others. Hallelujah! If you have such a heart, God is willing to give you wealth. The fear is that we are deceived by it and feel that we have too little. Do you remember the very foolish rich man mentioned in the Bible? He said, "I will tear down my barns and build greater ones, and there I will store all my crops and goods." Then he said to his soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." But what did God say? "Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?"
In fact, this is the deceitfulness of riches; people cannot understand these things. Too many people are only focused on making money, but do not forget that these are just tools. Amen! The Bible says that having food and clothing, we should be content. A contented heart is extremely rare.
We should not set our eyes on the empty riches; money is not your everything. Some say, "Without money, I cannot live." But if you have the Lord, the rest becomes much simpler. Our Lord can give you the wisdom to gain wealth. Amen! With this wisdom, do you still lack money? But if you focus on money, when you have problems, this thing may not be able to solve them.
How many people work hard, unwilling to rest, and in the end, their bodies break down? When they go to the hospital and find out they have late-stage cancer, they say to the doctor, "Please, save me! I am willing to give all my assets to you; just save my life." The doctor says, "I am sorry! I really cannot save you." At that moment, they realize that it cannot be exchanged; it is not equivalent. Therefore, we should value our lives. God will provide us with everything we need. Do not be deceived by wealth; do not set your eyes on empty riches because they are unreliable. When you truly rely on them, they may have already flown away.
The third characteristic of thorns: other desires.
These are all thorns that will affect our normal communication with God and hinder us from receiving God's abundant supply. James 1:14-15,
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
This mentions one thing: many people are always tempted, and when tempted, they can still fall into it. The reason these temptations come upon them is that they have desires within. Last year, a sister asked me, "Others are doing business in the church, asking for investment. They say if I invest ten thousand yuan, I can get back two thousand five in a month for six months. I calculated that it is quite a lot, and many people in the church are doing this, so I invested more than twenty thousand. Now that company cannot be found. I prayed; can God bring that money back?"
I asked her, "Why did you do this?"
She said, "I saw others doing it, so I followed."
I said, "No! It is because you want to make money."
She fell silent.
It is not because you see others investing that you invest; it is because you think it is quite profitable and are willing to do it. There are too many such things, and the reason is desire. If there were no such desires, could you fall into that temptation? Most of the time, it is because we have desires within us. Some desire fame, some desire profit, some desire power; in short, something attracts you, and the devil opens a pocket for you to fall into. In life, if you do not recognize God's grace, it is particularly easy to fall into it. So this is the other desires; the devil often amplifies our inner desires, causing us to fall into his snare.
Did not Adam and Eve fall into this at first? Eve fell into the devil's snare because she did not recognize her identity and did not know the blessings she already had. Some say, "How could the devil be so powerful to tempt her?" In fact, it is because they already had desires within.
If you believe God's words and do not look at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, do not think about this matter, the devil would have no opportunity. If your mind is filled with God's words and the blessings of Jesus, the devil cannot tempt you. Even if he tempts you, he cannot pull you into his snare unless you have that thought.
Perhaps Adam and Eve initially thought, "Why are we not allowed to eat?" Is this the best? The devil saw an opportunity: "I tell you, this is actually the best. If you eat it, you will be like God, knowing good and evil." This went straight to Eve's heart. If you look closely, no matter how the times develop, it is always easier for women to make money. Whether it is clothing or cosmetics, if you sell cosmetics to men, that company will not last long. Selling to women is different. Go to the mall and see that women's items occupy more than half, while men's items are particularly few. The reason is that the way the devil tempted Eve at first was, "You eat; after eating, your eyes will be opened, and you will become more beautiful." Various flattering words are used on you, and once you think about it, you buy it, and many times you fall into it.
Brothers and sisters, this is desire. Eve did not realize that she already possessed these things. Did she not have the image of God? She already had it. But why did she want to become like God through that? Brothers and sisters, do you know that you are already treasures in God's eyes? You are not favored by God because of how hard you work or how you dress; you are already favored by God. True beauty comes from within, and true joy does not enter from the outside but comes from within. When you possess God's love inside, you can live out the fruits of forgiveness, joy, and peace outside. You must continually recognize the Lord Jesus Christ.
James 4:1-3
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
In the past, many people misinterpreted this passage, saying, "Do not ask for things carelessly. If you ask carelessly, God will not give it to you and will even be angry." Therefore, many Christians say, "How can I pray? I do not dare to pray. What if I pray wrong, and God punishes me?" In fact, this passage does not mean you cannot pray; it does not mean you must pray according to God's will for God to fulfill it. The meaning is about your purpose. Look here; what are they asking for? Jealousy, fighting, and wars. You say, can God give you these things?
I remember I once gave a testimony about a church that was divided into three factions due to jealousy and disputes. During Sunday sermons, these three factions began to fight. One faction took the microphone and sang hymns, while another came up to take the microphone, and the louder one shouted even more. What should the believers below do? After being divided into three factions, during group meetings, one middle-aged sister asked me, "Can you lead us in prayer tonight?" At that moment, the Holy Spirit clearly told me not to go. I did not know why; we should go to prayer meetings, right? But the voice of the Holy Spirit was very clear, and I heard not to go, so I said, "Sorry! I cannot go today." She went back.
As soon as she left, the person in charge of that place told me, "Your decision is very correct. If you had gone, you would have been in a dilemma."
I asked, "Why?"
He said, "Do you know what they are doing every day in prayer?"
I said I did not know.
"They all kneel down together, saying, 'Lord, send down thunder from heaven and strike both of those factions dead…'"
If I had gone and they had asked me to pray this, what would I have done? Should I pray or not? If I say, "You are wrong," I would become one of their enemies. If such killing, jealousy, fighting, and wars exist, how can God fulfill it? He will not fulfill it. This is what it means to ask with wrong motives. Amen! If you ask the Lord to curse and kill a certain person, God will not fulfill it for you. When that person should die, God will deal with him and judge him, but it is not for you to curse him to death.
God wants you to bless; why does God want you to bless others? The reason is simple: God does not want you to have curses inside you. Amen! Judgment is God's business. God does not want you to be filled with bitterness and disputes; He wants you to be filled with peace and joy. Amen!
Sharing the second point: Because of Jesus, the cursed land is turned around.
Exodus 3:1-5
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn." 4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses! Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."
As I mentioned earlier, where was the ground cursed? After Adam and Eve sinned, the ground was cursed, and thorns and thistles began to grow. This is not good for us, but where does God's grace manifest? The Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush, meaning that wherever you have been cursed, God wants you to stand up there again and lead you out of the curse.
Before we recognized Jesus, we lived in thorns and could not escape from them. But today you have been turned around. When God saw that Moses was going to look at the sight in the thornbush, He began to call him: "Moses! Moses!" Moses said, "Here I am." Then God said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." It is a separated place. When seeing the fire burning the thorns, the thorns will definitely be burned, right? But what is the current situation? The Holy Spirit is in the thorns; these have been completely turned around. What does this refer to? Let me explain with scripture,
Mark 15:16-17
16 Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison. 17 And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head.
How do we come out of the curse? Because the crown of thorns was placed on Jesus' head, He bore the pain brought by those experiences for us. Amen! Why is the crown of thorns placed on the head? Because the effectiveness of our lives comes from the heart; the head determines behavior. When our behavior is filled with worries, filled with the temptations of wealth and other worries, we cannot make the right way of living. Jesus came and wore the crown of thorns to tell you that He bore all the curses for you. From now on, you need to change your thinking, to break free from the thinking of curses and transform into the thinking of supply. Amen! From living centered on self to living centered on Christ.
In the past, laboring to be rich; now, relying on receiving the grace of Jesus Christ, gaining wealth, and then supplying others, just like Abraham, whom God blessed, and he also blessed others. Amen! Therefore, I hope brothers and sisters will receive God's supply more and recognize the goodness of the Lord Jesus. These thorns will no longer grow, and bearing fruit will become a natural thing. I hope everyone will continually receive and renew ourselves, so that others can no longer influence you. You should often think about how Jesus wore the crown of thorns for you and has redeemed you from the curse of the law. Amen!
What you need to do is to continually establish a connection with Jesus, to know Him more, so that this little seedling can grow into a towering tree. Even if there are thorns under the tree, they can no longer affect this tree. When the seedling is small, thorns can affect it, but once your life grows, these thorns can no longer affect your growth. At most, they can disturb you a little, but they cannot affect your fruitfulness like before. Hallelujah!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You! Thank You for helping us through such words, renewing us. The seedlings in the thorns cannot bear fruit because they are choked by the thorns. Lord, I know Your word can help me break free from these worries, from these deceptions, and from the worries of this world. I am willing to know more about the grace of Jesus. In Your words, my life will change. You came to give me life and to give it more abundantly. I believe this is a blessed week because You will bless me. The blessings You give me cannot be taken away by anyone. I receive Your blessings and live with Your blessings, and I will also become a blessing to those around me. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen!