Cares, Riches and Lusts of Other Things - Mark 4:19

Mark wrote how Jesus told His disciples, “The sower sows the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness. And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word”, and in chapter four and verse nineteen of his book, Mark shares how Jesus began to tell His disciples about, “cares, riches and lust of other things” where we read:

And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches,

and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

The verse reads, “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, ...” Mark began with the words, “and the cares” or “and the anxieties and solicitude” “of this world” which means “belonging to the age, perpetuity of time and the unbroken age”, “and the deceitfulness of riches” which means “and the delusion, seduction and lust of wealth, external possessions, fullness, abundance and plenitude”. Mark shared how Jesus referred to the “anxieties” and “delusion” of “wealth and abundance” that is within the “present age”.

The verse continues, “and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” Mark added the words, “and the lusts” or “the desires, cravings and concupiscence” “of other things” which means “of things other than the word of God” “entering in” or “coming in” “choke the word” which means “suffocates and strangles God's doctrine, teaching, mandate and decree”, “and it becomes unfruitful” or “the seed of God's word comes to pass, happens and appears without fruit, barren and not yielding what it ought to yield”. Mark shared how Jesus said the “desires” for “things” other than God's word enters a person's life and makes that person “barren” and unable to “bear fruit”.

When we think through Mark's words in this verse, we see how the person who receives God's word but allows the “passions” for other things to supersede what God has to say becomes “unfruitful” in God's Kingdom. In other words, distractions from the “word” of God become the “desire and lust” of their lives. God knows following His word is best for ever person, however, the world presents other things that compete for time, energy and effort in their lives. Those who permit the things of the world to become more important than God's word put themselves in a position to never produce any “fruit” for His Kingdom, and woe be to anyone who is “barren” and does not “bear” any fruit for Him.

Next time Mark shares how Jesus tells what what happens to the seed, “sown on good ground”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".