The American dream is not God’s best for you. The Kingdom of God is.
Next, the seed falls in soil that has thorns. As the plant takes root and grows, those thorns rise up and choke out the life of the plant, killing it.
What do the thorns represent? Often, when we think of the kinds of things that kill someone’s faith, we think of decadent sins. Perhaps it is because of our Puritanical roots in America, but we think of sexual sin or drug abuse or some sort of sin that is overt and easily seen. But Jesus gives us a danger that is more insidious and more difficult to see.
The cares of this life.
Wait, shouldn’t we care for the things of this life? Shouldn’t we care about our jobs, our families, our responsibilities?
As people of integrity and disciples of Christ, we are to model the love of Christ and the Kingdom of God in each of these situations, but they are not an end in and of themselves. And they cannot supplant the priority of the Kingdom of God.
In fact, all of the different aspects of our life ONLY have true significance under the authority of the Kingdom of God. “Seek first the Kingdom and God’s righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” Some things? No, all things. Anything in your life you could possibly worry about must be redefined within the authority of the rule and reign of Christ.
When the cares of this life take priority over seeking the Kingdom first, then they become idols. Your marriage, your family, your job, your education, etc., all are good things in life but must be submitted to the authority of Christ. When they are not, then we seek more from those “good” things than they were meant to provide, just as an idol has no ability to satisfy anything.
Only God satisfies. Only Christ brings life.
Do not take this as an excuse to have a bad marriage or do poorly at your job or beat your kids. Nor should we neglect the cares of this life. If we have been born again from above, from Heaven, then all we do carries eternal significance, and only the guidance and authority of God can help us achieve that. We can love and fulfill the responsibilities of the cares of this life in peace and patience, in security and hope, when the priority is the Kingdom of God. Without the singular and universal focus of the Kingdom, then it might be “good,” but it is not the best – not of heaven, not of eternal significance.
The “good” is the enemy of the “best.”
That’s why the cares of this life can be such an “evil” thing. They look good. Noble. If you give them priority, then your focus seems “good.” You’re not in a gutter with a prostitute smoking crack. “Don’t smoke, drink, or chew or run around with women who do.” You’re not doing that.
But the “cares of this life” can distract you from the singular focus of the Kingdom. Easily.
I saw a great sermon one time where the pastor went through how he lost more of his congregation to their front yards than to “sin.” He explained that it would invariably go like this: guy buys a new house that is more than he can afford, has to work more hours to afford it, and then the “only time” he has to work in his yard is on Sundays. Just can’t be a part of the fellowship anymore, Pastor.
Now, I’m not saying going to church every week on Sunday is equal to having a singular focus on the Kingdom – there are plenty that attend buildings we call churches every week that have no such focus – but I still thought it incredibly insightful.
CS Lewis, in his classic Screwtape Letters, also had a great insight related to this. The book, if you’re not familiar, is a series of letters of advice from a senior demon to a junior one. The junior demon is in charge of this young Christian man, to try and tempt and destroy this young man. Screwtape’s advice at one point is to say (my summary), “Don’t try to tempt the young man with loose women or decadent living. The Christian man can see this temptation from a mile away. Even if he succumbs to it, he will know its misery and come back stronger than before.
“In order to tempt this young man,” Screwtape continues, “use his lust to get him to marry a lukewarm Christian woman, a woman who is not really committed to Christ but is minimally religious. Then she will draw him away from God for the rest of his life.”
You were not born again to achieve the American Dream. The American Dream is not innately evil, but it can easily supplant the Kingdom Reality. You were born again, from heaven, to participate in the eternal reality of the Kingdom. It is difficult; it is an adventure; it is painful; it gives unparalleled joy; it costs everything and profits you even more. Oftentimes, most of the time, it can look very different than the American Dream.
The American Dream is born of this world. Good, noble things, most of it. But it is of this world. The Kingdom of God is of another world entirely. The things of this world will all fail. They will all be shaken. The Kingdom of God will not. Not ever. Not for eternity.
If you go to a church or listen to teaching that equates following God with achieving the American Dream – run away. Thousands may listen to the teachings, but if the focus isn’t the radical, and costly, discipleship of the Kingdom, the Word of God is being sown among thorns. Thorns take time to accomplish it, but they will rise up and choke out the life of a disciple.
The American Dream will kill you.
The Kingdom Reality will give you eternal life.
Peace.
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