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30
A Call to Stand Apart
situation. The poor fear they will not be able to obtain their basic
necessities. The rich fear they will lose what they have accumulated.
The fears of us all about security should lead us to the One who has
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promised to supply all our needs, for He cares for us. No matter
where we work or spend our time, we can become so absorbed in
secular pursuits that we squeeze out of our lives those essentials for
the growth of the seed of God’s Word—time to meditate about God
and heaven, time to pray, time to study Scripture, time to seek and
serve God. The noise of the world overpowers the voice of the Spirit
of God.
Next, Jesus talked about the deceitfulness of wealth. Instead
of regarding wealth as a gift to be used for God’s glory and for
helping others, it can be used as a means of promoting self. In this
case, instead of developing the selflessness of God, we develop the
selfishness of Satan
Then Jesus talked about “the pleasures of life.” He didn’t mean
we were not to have a good time. (After all, He began His ministry
in Palestine at a wedding celebration and didn’t hesitate to attend
social gatherings such as Matthew’s and Simon’s.) Rather, here Jesus
discusses the danger of those kinds of amusements that draw our
affections away from Him. He’s condemning indulgences that di-
minish our physical strength, dull our minds, and numb our spiritual
perceptions—all of which stifle spiritual growth.
The farmer, Jesus continued, does not always meet with disap-
pointment. Sometimes the seed falls into good ground, and he reaps
a wonderful harvest. “But as for what was sown on good soil, this
is the one who hears the word and understands it.”
Matthew 13:23
.
This doesn’t refer to a heart without sin, because the Gospel is to
be preached to the lost. Rather, the honest heart refers to one who
yields to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, confessing guilt, feeling
the need of the mercy and love of God. The person who receives
the Scriptures as the voice of God is the true learner. Angels of God
come close to those who humbly seek for divine guidance
If our hearts become the “good ground,” we will choose to fill
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our minds with great thoughts, pure thoughts. Jesus will live in us,
producing the good fruit of obedience and good works. Our troubles
and difficulties will help us become more Christ like until we seek
