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Stuck In Immaturity By Life's Riches
Brian Mashburn
March 11, 2018
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Life’s Riches vs. God
In Luke 8:14, Jesus says there exists people who have truly heard his message, have honestly received it, and genuinely want it to grow in them, but tragically, "as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature."
This insight from Jesus rings so true, does it not? Think about it. In Colossians 3:2, Paul says, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Can you think of one thing that is better at taking our minds off of God and putting them squarely on temporal, earthbound things than worries, riches, and pleasures? Me either.
Last week, we considered how life's worries stunt our ability to mature spiritually. Next week, we will consider how life’s pleasures do the same. This week we consider the second issue Jesus names: life’s riches.
Elsewhere in scripture, Jesus famously said, "You cannot serve God and money." (Matthew 6:24)
Perhaps, but, boy do we try. Our desire for cool stuff, for financial security, for fun activity, and, well, for anything that takes money can in no time flat take all of our attention, effort, creativity, and focus. For the Christian, these are things that belong to God. They are His, and when we give them to Him, we mature spiritually. And when we seek first Him and His Kingdom, all these other things that we need are taken care of too.
The pursuit of life's riches is called materialism, and if there is one world religion that permeates every nation, tribe, language, and people, materialism is it. Left unexamined, even the most devout of Christians will find this weed growing in their hearts right next to the seed of the Kingdom, stunting our spiritual maturity. So today, we examine it.