Every Friday I join a community of bloggers for Five Minute Friday. One word prompt, five minutes. Unedited. The prompt this week is … Care.
Upon reading the word prompt in Twitter, I headed to bed too tired to think. But a word prompt is a funny thing, as it truly does prompt your mind to think even when you are unaware.
Pouring my first cup of coffee, I read the verse on my calendar which speaks to the parable of the seed. My mind recalls a different part of the parable …
Some of the seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked out the seed so that no crop was produced.
But its remembering Jesus’ explanation that stops me, moving me to open my Bible to check and see if I remember His words correctly. I truly am stunned to see the words before me:
“Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mark 4:18-19, NKJV)
The cares of this world will choke out the Word and cause our lives to become unfruitful. The cares are valid cause for concern as the world is so rapidly changing. We are concerned about our families, our churches, our jobs, our finances, our health, our freedoms, the injustices we see occurring.
This is the reason we must guard our hearts.
The cares of the world will choke out the Word.
So what are we to do with our cares?
“… casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, NKJV)
May we not let the cares of this world choke out the good seed already in our hearts.
We can give Him all our cares,
for He cares for us.
Photo by Jodie Righos on Unsplash
Today I am joining …
WOW! What a great blog! I loved it! I have too many cares of this world but at the same time I do cast my cares upon Jesus. He comforts me in times of sorrow and pain. He really cares. Thanks for sharing.
â¤ï¸Terri D
#8FMF He Wipes My Tears Away
1 Peter 5.7 was my mom’s life verse — so glad to see it in your post! xo
It’s always interesting to see where the prompt takes people, and I love this post! It is a great reminder of how easy it can be to get distracted and let other things take our focus away from God.
Wow, this is so relatable. I am so glad your thoughts went to this part of the parable and, by writing this post, you remind us to lay our cares in God’s hands rather than let them distract us from the Word.
Joanne, I love this. So insightful. Blessings.
~Selah ~
FMF #5
Love this post. It was just what I needed to hear today.
Thanks for sharing.
Love how you followed the dots and found truth in the Word!
I don’t know that I’ve ever read the parable in that version. It rings very true.
The seed fell hard among the thorns
that then passed for my soul,
but something curious was born
that would make me whole.
Something that could not ignore
the truth behind the Gospel story,
that sane men would die to find
a meaning that would give God glory.
You read ’bout Peter, Paul, and James,
and their words ring true today,
but they knew they faced the flames
that were part of Martyr’s Way.
They were smart, no brain cells missin’,
and that’s how I became a Christian.
I love how God led you to this post. We think of cares as just part of life, but they can choke out so much if we don’t cast them on Him. How loving and kind He is to take them.