Is God's Word Choked?
| 
You may ask, what in the world does it mean to have God’s Word choked in my life? The answer to this question is found in a story that Jesus told about a farmer who planted seeds on different types of ground (Mark 4:1-20). One type of ground was covered with weeds. The seeds the farmer planted in the weedy ground could not grow because the weeds used up all the sunlight and water. As a result the seeds simply got choked out and could not produce any fruit to be harvested because it could not receive what it needed to grow. Jesus explained a little later that the weedy ground represents people whose lives are so full of distraction that the seed, which is God’s Word, cannot blossom into an overflow of good works. Unfortunately, many people think it is acceptable to God to be unfruitful, but the reality is that in the end they will get burned (Heb 6:8).
The Necessity of Being Fruitful…
The types of fruit that God is looking for in a person’s life are love, joy, peace, patience…self-control (Gal 5:22-23) and these things are not something mustered up by individuals, but rather a simple result of persistently trusting God in all situations (Gal 5:6, Jas 2:18). These qualities that are produced in the heart are revealed to the world through outward actions of good works (Mat 12:33-37). Though good works do not save anyone, (trusting in Jesus Christ does) they do reveal whether or not someone truly knows God (1 Jn 2:3-6, Titus 1:16, Mat 7:16-20). For in the end, all people will be judged according to what they do (2 Cor 5:10). Everyone who is not producing good fruit (AS A RESULT of knowing God) will go to hell (Luke 13:6-9, Mat 3:10; 24:14-46).
How to be a Fruitful follower of Jesus…
The Bible says in Heb 12:1-2, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” Here, in this small passage, is an amazing reality that empowers people to live a fruitful life in Christ. First we find the instruction to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. People need to weed out of their lives the pleasure-driven lifestyle that has taken over so many and start living for God without trying to satisfy themselves through entertainment (Luke 9:23). Since God is in control of all things and he cares about people, they must stop worrying about all the things going on in their lives and start trusting Jesus to work out everything for the good of those who are obedient to him (Prov 3:5-6). Then without hindrance they need to strive to be in constant communion with God through prayer and meditation on the bible (Phil 4:4-9), having serving Christ as their goal in life. When people spend time with God like this throughout their whole day, they naturally produce the good fruit that God desires. NO ONE CAN PRODUCE FRUIT THAT IS PLEASING TO GOD APART FROM THIS TYPE OF INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM (Jn 15:5).