7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
We live in a thorn-filled world. So many people’s lives are so filled with other things and activities that the Word gets chocked to death. People hear the Gospel and superficially accept its message. Then everything else in life pushes on the Gospel. Other things and people deprive the Gospel of space and energy. The nutrients needed for life feed the thorns rather than the Good News. I can see it in my own life. There are times when life gets so busy that it would be easier to take Sundays off and not go to Church. It would be easier to sleep in that extra hour instead of spending time in the Word. I could recycle sermons instead of digging into new texts and wrestling with them. I could just download a sermon off the internet and preach it as though it were mine. They would probably be better, but they would not have the same impact on me or the congregation. Part of the process for me is allowing the Word to get more space and time in my schedule. If I give more emphasis to the Word, the thorns get squeezed for space. Do you feel like the weeds are choking out your eternity? Are you getting too busy for your own good? If you are, then it is time to spend more time in the Word, in worship, and in prayer. It is only when we give more space for the Lord that the pace of life will slow down and get in balance. More time in the Word frees up time in the rest of your schedule.
The Arnold Journey 