Bible Reading: Matthew 13:1-23; John 8:31-37
Bible Verse: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5 KJV
I thought I was far enough from where he was working, but the tractor was backing in my direction. He had already been digging the post holes for the fence for several hours, so I didn’t want him to have to stop. Hurriedly, I stepped to the side and tripped. It had me. I was ensnared in a tangle of catbrier. The more I struggled, the more briars snagged my pants, and like a barbed fish hook, they dug into the fabric and locked. I finally stopped moving my feet before I found myself sprawled on the ground, and as I used my hands to free myself, I thought it ironic that I had just studied Jesus’ parable of the seeds because I suddenly could empathize with the seed that had fallen among the thorns: “And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them” Matthew 13:7 KJV
I was trapped in its clutches… being held captive by the thorns. It had stolen my freedom.
As in the parable of the seed, like those that fell among the thorns, sin takes our freedom. But the thing is, sin does not necessarily have to be something we consider wrong; rather, it is anything we put before God. For example, it can be a job, pursuit of success or money, possessions, or even a person if it takes priority over God. And we may not even realize that we are allowing these things to slowly choke out our time with the Father. We may not realize that, as we put these things before God, we have actually made them idols. Or maybe we don’t realize that we are allowing these things to determine our self-worth.
May we not get caught up in the catbriers, but may we nourish our relationship with our Creator, putting Him first every day in every way, finding our worth as His unique craftsmanship made in His image, and bearing the fruit that can only be produced through a deep personal connection with our Savior. Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5, King James Version). And of course, as for true freedom, our Savior reminds us in His word: “… If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:31-32, 36, KJV).
Your story really moved me in that I have felt trapped by briars after falling in them. I have read the story in the Bible about the seeds falling into different types of ground. God shows us how different ways of seeding into different grounds will give you different results. He is teaching us with this parable that in witnessing to different people we will get different results.