Mark 4:13-14, 18-20 (NKJV)And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word….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. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
Jesus wants the Word to have a multiplication effect in our lives. He wants the seed that has been sown into our hearts to germinate, take root and grow into a fruitful tree. Once there is fruit, more seeds will be sown. Even though God has appointed full-time ministers to sow the Word into our lives, we are the ones who decide how much fruit it will produce in our lives, because God has given us the freedom of choice. The prerequisite for fruitfulness is good soil, which means a heart that’s ready to receive and accept the truth.
The best defence against the deceitfulness of riches is to apply biblical financial principles in our lives. It is all about priorities. God wants us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all these things will be added to us as well. There are too many things vying for our attention in this day and age—we are bombarded daily by the urgent concerns of the world, but Jesus warns us not to allow the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things to cause the Word to be unfruitful, because to those who are pursuing mammon, listening to and retaining the Word of God will not be the top priority in their lives.
So what can we do to ensure the Word of God will not be choked by the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches and desires for other things? We need to remember that our objective is to “cultivate the soil” of our hearts to produces thirty, sixty or a hundredfold in our lives, and we are the ones responsible for dealing with our hearts. Hearing and intentionally listening to the preaching and teaching of the Word is key to retention, and nobody can do for us.
God wants us to be blessed spiritually, emotionally, and physically—to have His kind of peace that surpasses all understanding to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and not allow the cares of the world to overcome us. For us to truly experience the abundant life that He intends for us to have, we need to proactively hear the Word, accept it, and act on the truth. Jesus desires the Word to produce fruit and faith in our lives. A deep conviction of the truth is what makes the seed grow into a tree.
Sermon Series：The Seed Can be Stolen but It Is Difficult to Uproot the Tree! (Part 3)
摆正你的优先次序
马可福音 4:13-20又对他们说：“你们不明白这比喻吗？这样怎能明白一切的比喻呢？撒种之人所撒的就是道。那撒在路旁的…还有那撒在荆棘里的，就是人听了道，后来有世上的思虑、钱财的迷惑，和别样的私欲进来，把道挤住了，就不能结实。那撒在好地上的，就是人听道，又领受，并且结实，有三十倍的，有六十倍的，有一百倍的。”
耶稣要神的话语在我们的生命中有倍增的功效。祂要撒在我们心里的种子发芽，扎根，长成一棵结出果实的树。一旦结出果子，那么就可以撒下更多的种子。虽然神已经指派了全职的牧师来将神的话语播种到我们的生命中，但我们自己才是决定神的话语在我们的生命中结出多少果实的人，因为神已经给了我们选择的自由。多结果子的先决条件是良好的土壤，这意味着一颗预备好接受真理的心。
对钱财的迷惑的最好的抵御就是把圣经里的理财原则运用在我们的生活中。这一切都是有关优先次序的问题。神要我们先寻求祂的国和祂的义，然后这一切都要加给我们。在这个时代，有太多的事情在争夺我们的注意力。世上紧急和需关注的事每天都在轰炸我们。但耶稣警告我们，不要让世上的思虑、钱财的迷惑，和别样的私欲进来，以至于神的道不能结实！对于那些追求金钱的人来说，倾听和遵守神的话语并不是他们生活中的首要任务。
我们能做些什么来确保神的话语不会被世上的思虑、钱财的迷惑，和别样的私欲挤住？我们需要记住，我们的目标是“培育我们心灵的土壤”，在我们的生命中结出30倍，60倍或100倍的果实。我们是负责处理我们心灵的人。认真听神的话语的教导是记住话语的关键。没有人能替代我们。
祂要我们的灵魂体得到祝福 – 神要我们拥有祂那种出乎意外的平安，在基督耶稣里保守我们的心怀意念，不让世界的思虑胜过我们。为了让我们真正经历到祂要我们拥有的丰盛生活，我们需要积极主动地倾听话语，领受真理，并按照真理行事。耶稣渴望神的话语在我们的生命中结出果实和信心。对真理的坚定信心使种子长成大树。
讲章系列：种子会被偷走，但很难把树连根拔起！