Last post, I talked about the importance of unsubscribing to the things in this world that are only becoming more and more of a distraction for us.
Canceling things that need to be canceled.
Letting go of things that need to be let go of.
Abandoning things that need to be abandoned.
Forsaking things that need to be forsaken.
Disowning things that we should have never taken ownership of.
Rejecting anything that would taint our relationship with God.
In other words, being desperate for God to the point that you make sure there is NOTHING that is pulling you in the opposite direction from HIM.
None of this is easy when the enemy has a death grip on us. You might have unsubscribed from multiple things already. And this week, you have been reminded that there are other subscriptions you forgot about that are now showing up in your spiritual inbox.
We have a decision to make–to be satisfied with what we have already unsubscribed from and to justify we did enough (lukewarm) or not stop unsubscribing until we get every single distraction for stopped.
Believe me, there will be other distractions in life that we did not even sign up for.
One of the main things that the church of Laodicea did to become lukewarm was to become focused on being rich in this world and not rich in the things of God. And as a result, they were spiritually wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
Jesus was telling them, “You are more enthusiastic about this life then you are about me.”
Nicky Gumbel wrote, “Jesus never tells us to withdraw from the world. The challenge is to be ‘in the world’ but not ‘of the world’. You are called to resist the temptations of the world around you.”
The Parable of the Farmer
There are four types of soil in the parable of the farmer. The one I want to focus on is the third soil mentioned.
“The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.” Mark 4:18-19 NLT
This is what a what happens when we live a life that is focused on material gain, a life that desires only wealth, a life that’s centered around the worries of daily life. It CROWDS out God’s message to us.
In other words, he can’t communicate to us what he wants to say, because we are subscribed to another channel.
Again, let me remind you that in the book of Revelation, Jesus is talking to one of the seven churches. He is not talking to the lost. He is not talking to someone who has never heard of him. Rather, he is talking to those who have already experienced the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
May we be stirred this morning to be desperate for a loving God that is reaching for us.
Here is the promise to those that hear his word…
“And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” Mark 4:20 NLT
If you have never experienced Him before, this is your opportunity.
God in His great love is reaching for you today. He’s asking you to set aside the distractions that have been crowding your life and to focus on Him. He has everything you could ever need. Every hope. Every dream. Peace beyond understanding.
He’s reaching for you today.
I know you well—you are neither hot nor cold; I wish you were one or the other! But since you are merely lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth! “You say, ‘I am rich, with everything I want; I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that spiritually you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
My advice to you is to buy pure gold from me, gold purified by fire—only then will you truly be rich. And to purchase from me white garments, clean and pure, so you won’t be naked and ashamed; and to get medicine from me to heal your eyes and give you back your sight. I continually discipline and punish everyone I love; so I must punish you unless you turn from your indifference and become enthusiastic about the things of God. Revelation 3:15-19 TLB
