Beyond These Walls: Here We Go! Week 1 Devotional Day 6

DAY 6 – Saturday

Daily devotional

Read

Mark 4:7, 18-19; Matthew 6:25-34; 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Ask

What characterizes a person who is the soil with “thorns”? What does this look like in everyday life?

How does one practically renew his/her mind against the worldly ways of thinking (Romans 12:1-2)?

Reflect – The Soils (Part 3): The Thorns

Again, this third soil is one layer deeper than the previous two! In fact, the seed settles in the soil, the plant grows, and it’s not until the thorns choke out its life that it finally dies. The people represented by this soil are those who are seemingly devoted to Jesus, but they get so caught up in “life” that they eventually turn away from him.

“It is easy to pack life with such a multiplicity of interests that there is no time left for Christ.”[1] OK, read that quote again, and then pause to think about it… How is the busyness of life distracting your heart from your Lord? How is your love for this present world choking out your spiritual life?

The Bible identifies this heart-distracting, life-choking influence with one, simple term: “the world.” The world is our natural, fallen way of viewing life. This worldly point of view is the organic byproduct of our individual sin natures, brought together to create one big-ol’ mess. It has infected language, relationships, academia, art, entertainment, business, and everything else in society. It is “the world” that causes us to live our comfy, work-a-day lives and never even think about the God who gave us life to begin with.

What is the Christian’s response to the world? To renew our minds according to God’s point of view (Romans 12:1-2). We need the Spirit to change the way we think—to give us a fresh, eternal perspective— so that we may have a greater commitment to Jesus and his message. Consider praying regularly: “Spirit of God, would you use the word of God to make me more like the Son of God.”

[1] William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible: Mark, p. 93.