Thoughts on Tuesday ~ Kingdom Blockers

One of my favorite pastor's wives (which is a confusing thing to write: he has one wife, no matter how that can be misconstrued) used to write a Monday Morning Commentary on her blog each week. I always admired that for several reasons, one being that I saw it as a great way to support and cheer on her husband. I've thought about doing it many times, but it seemed like such a commitment to make to write a blog EVERY week ;). Mine may be more like today and be Thoughts on Tuesday, and other times I might make Monday Morning Commentary status...either way, let's get started.

Using the parable of the sower, Jeremy examined this truth:  There are certain things that block people from pursuing the Kingdom and living a fruitful life for Jesus. 

What’s blocking your pursuit of God and His Kingdom?

1. Satan (Matt. 13:19)
• In the passage, Jesus tells about the footpath where the seed falls and birds snatch it and carry it away; he explains that these are those who hear about the kingdom, but do not understand. 
• In our lives, it is our hard heart, hardened by the enemy, which prevents the Word from permeating and growing. This is often a pride.
2. A Shallow Commitment (Matt. 13: 20-21)
•  In the passage, Jesus teaches of the rocky soil. The seed grows quickly and then withers from lack of a deep root. 
• In our lives, as Jesus explains after his parable, these are hard times that come and take our joy. It may be persecution, suffering, or things just not going our way.
• To overcome a Shallow Commitment, we need Deep Roots. We develop Deep Roots through:
• God's Word: Get in God's word - read it, listen to it, memorize it, meditate on it, share it (FB, IG, text encouragement to others)
• God's People: Resist isolation and build community; allow others to speak Biblical truth and correction in to your life as well as encouragement.
• God's Spirit: Learn how to listen to and follow His Spirit. The Spirit is a gift the Father gives us when we commit our lives to Jesus. Rely on the Spirit.
3. Distractions in life (Matt. 13: 22)
• In the passage, Jesus teaches about the seed that fell among the thorns, and as it grew was choked out by those thorns.
• In His teaching, the thorns in our life are worries of this life and the lure of wealth (Mark goes on to add the 'desire for other things' to his list). Jeremy pointed out that our culture makes it easy for these very same distractions to lure us away.

The good news is that there is one last type of soil!

Matthew 13:23 (NLT⁾ The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

What a joy to know that I am not doomed to suffer a life of the blockers, but that I can live in the fullness of the good soil!

Hosea 10:12 (NLT) ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love.

Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’

Which soil describes the condition of your heart and your life at this time? What can you do to correct that? If your heart is in the 'good soil' category, what can you do to maintain that and share that with others?


I see 'Distractions in life' as my biggest blocker. And, I'm thankful that Mark added the 'desire for other things' to his list. That's me. And, the 'desire for other things' aren't always bad things that I chase; I'm easily distracted by the lure of a clean, orderly home; by meeting deadlines for business; by meeting needs of others. However, if I'm not sitting at the feet of Jesus first and then serving out of His filling, I'm not producing a harvesty of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times more!

If you missed the message and want to hear it, you can find it here.