byEach day church service is held; there comes an opportunity to receive God’s Word from the preacher at the pulpit. Sometimes, people receive God’s Word during their personal Bible studies or their private fellowship with God during their day-to-day activities. But do you know that God’s Word is received as a seed? Yes. Jesus said it when He explained the parable of the sower (see Matthew 13:18-15). Seeds don’t grow until they are planted in good soil and also provided all the necessities needed for them to germinate well. With this in view, know that it takes some work to see God’s Word manifest in a believer’s life. That also implies that there are things that make God’s Word unfruitful in some believers’ lives, and I’m glad to speak about three of them today. Let’s look at the scripture from which I got the inspiration for this article.
[18] “Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, [19] 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)
In the verse above, Jesus enumerated three things that make God’s Word unfruitful in a believer’s life. They are the cares of this world (worries of life), the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things. Let’s take them one by one.
The cares of this world (worries of life)
One of the primary things that gets many Christians to lose focus on God is the cares of this world. Many people don’t take God at His Word and walk in obedience to it because they are so used to thinking about what to eat, drink, and wear. Some are also focused on making money and pursuing other material possessions. Because of this, it is common to hear people say, “I am busy.” Busy about what? Busy attending to the cares of this life to the extent of missing church without feeling sorry about it before God.
Today, it’s sad that several believers don’t have adequate time to pray for even one hour in the 168 hours per week. Many don’t study the Bible anymore. Some don’t listen to sermon podcasts anymore. Just think about this. If a person lives like this, do you think the seed of God’s Word will grow in his life? Certainly not. Why? Because there is no work done to steward, meditate and take divinely directed steps to walk in obedience to the Word received.
The deceitfulness of riches
This is one of the surprising things I saw written in the Bible, that it is a causative effect of God’s Word being unfruitful in some believers’ lives. According to scripture, there is something called “the deceitfulness of riches (wealth).” Think about that. For me, it’s somehow strange because everybody likes money, including kids. Before social media came, many people desired to be just wealthy. Now, many people wish to be both wealthy and famous. But riches are deceptive. In other words, wealth can make people think that God’s Word is irrelevant in their lives.
Ask yourself why many rich men dislike attending church or even stop by to listen to God’s Word. They are so busy chasing after money that they don’t have time for God. Is having money a bad thing? No! But when it takes more precedence in your heart than God, it becomes mammon, and that is evil. Do you think God cannot bless and make you wealthy just by applying His Word? He can. So, don’t set His Word aside and chase after those things. You may end up getting it, but with many sorrows, because it is only the blessing of God that makes a person rich without sorrows (see Proverbs 10:22).
The desires for other things
There are some people whose desire for things, particularly material things, remains higher in their life priority than God’s Word. Because of that, they think about those things more than God’s Word, even as they receive it. It’s not surprising for people’s minds to be wandering on plans, food, etc, while the pastor is preaching in church. Hmm! Do you think God’s Word will enter the hearts of those people? No! Because they aren’t giving premium attention to it.
What to do to make God’s Word fruitful
In the earlier parts of this article, you may have seen three things that make God’s Word unfruitful in a believer’s life. But it’s not wise to state a problem without providing a solution to it. What can you and I do to make God’s Word bear fruit in our lives? It’s simple. Just be in constant fellowship with Jesus and walk according to His ways. He said in John 15:5 (NKJV) that,
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
You cannot bear fruit in God if you are disconnected from him. Minimise the distractions in this world as you receive the Word. Turn that internet off when in church. Make time to be with the Lord alone. Practice writing His instructions to you and walk in their consciousness every day. If you do this, God’s Word will bear fruit in your life.
You’re a blessing!
