Bible verses about putting God first

Matthew 13:7 (NKJV) 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.

As I was working in my yard this morning, I was pulling up weeds. It was primarily crabgrass that had sprung up here and there.

While I was down on the ground pulling up these patches of crabgrass, I began to make some observations, and the Holy Spirit began to speak to me.

First, I noticed that the crabgrass, although spread out, didn’t have a very large root system. The roots were deep and stubborn, but not very wide.

Second, under the canopy of this invasive grass, many other things were hiding, such as various bugs and unwanted creatures, like grubs.

And as the crabgrass spread outward, it killed everything else around it because it choked it all out by either growing right over the top of it, and starving it of sunlight, or by strangling it with its many “arms” and “tentacles”.

It was while I was making these observations that the Holy Spirit began to speak and teach me a few things.

It reminded me of the parable that Jesus had shared, about the sower and the seeds.

Matthew 13:22 (NKJV) 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

He showed me how that crabgrass was like the cares of the world. He also showed me that it went beyond that.

The cares of the world are dangerous for believers. They try to slowly overtake us, robbing us of our time and stealing our joy. They pull us away from God if we let them. They can choke our relationship with Him until it starves and dies a slow, painful death.

More than that, as we become absorbed in the cares of the world, and our spirit starts to succumb to them, those cares become like the crabgrass.

They begin to act like a cover, concealing things in us that are unwanted and dangerous, like the pests hidden beneath the crabgrass, doing damage behind the scenes, eating away at whatever is good, until our walk with God dies a slow death due to starvation.

It’s important that we safeguard our spirit from this, being careful to keep the cares of the world in check, being sure not to let them overtake us and kill us spiritually.

So, be careful. Be discerning, using caution and the wisdom of God’s word in the choices and decisions we make each and every day.

And, most importantly, if we recognize that we may have begun to fall prey to the cares of the world, we can’t be ashamed to admit it.

It’s our honesty with God and with our self that will help us overcome these kinds of obstacles and keep our walk with God growing and flourishing, as we repent for the mistakes we’ve made and set things right in our hearts.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

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