The Deceitfulness of This World

Scratch Lotto – Win money, get the girl, travel, have a big house with a pool! 

           

That's the commercial, isn't it?  It's always the same with the various get-rich-quick schemes:  Spend just a little bit of money, take your chances, and even if you lose, you're closer to winning.  If you lose, just buy another ticket, and eventually, you'll win, and it will all be yours!  And literally, millions of people have bought tickets, over and over, for decades.  For some, it's 'just for fun,' but ,it is a life-long obsession for others.

           

The tragedy of it all is that the happiness people chase is much simpler to achieve: a life lived by faith, where you love God and love people, is the life that will produce the happiness you desire.  If you fill your life with the desires and the things of this world, chances are you will never get what can fill your heart. But remember, the path to true happiness is not complex, it's simple and within reach.

 

Jesus knew this 'secret,' of course, and he told a parable to help people grasp the ways of happiness and joy. 

 

"Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up:  Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth:  and forthwith they sprung up because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold." 

 

The disciples did not understand the parable, so Jesus explained it:

 

When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom and doesn't understand it, the evil one takes it away. When someone hears and receives the word of the Kingdom, but isn't really serious, the seed is rooted at first, but then dies away quickly; When others receive the word, but never nurture their faith, it remains shallow, and hard times will destroy those beliefs; finally, when the word of the Kingdom falls on good soil, and is nurtured and watered and fed, that faith grows, and brings forth life, and joy. This is what Jesus meant when he told the parable of the sower. [Matthew 13:1-23]

           

What Jesus was saying was really quite simple:  If the message of Jesus is received, nurtured, and allowed to grow in one's heart, it will bring much joy to one's life.  God will work with them, help them transform their lives, and give them that which will bring joy!  However, if people don't receive the message of Jesus in a serious manner and invest their lives in knowing and serving Him, their initial interest in the faith will fade away, and they will be left on their own.  They will look for love and happiness in all the wrong places and live without the things God yearns to give them!

           

I hope you will receive the words of the Kingdom with the 'good soil' of your heart!  Receive the message of new life in Jesus, and nurture your faith, no matter what happens in your life.  God will bless you and bring you the joy and happiness you desire, even if you never buy a lottery ticket! ! 

 

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Thank you for listening. We will see you next week!