Rootless and Scorched

 

    

Matt 13:3-6

3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.

NKJV

 

I have seen it, and so have you, if you have been in church for any length of time.  There are always shooting stars.  They come into the congregation, maybe when they have a problem of some sort, they receive Christ and they are on fire. They are there every time the doors open, they are telling people about Jesus, and hungry for the Word.  Everything looks great, then all of a sudden their attendance starts dwindling, and the next thing you know they are back to their old life.  What happened?

 

According to today's verses (v. 5-6) they are those who received the Word but did not have enough soil to put down deep roots.  The rocky places do not allow for much depth or root system.  But there is even more to this:

   

Matt 13:20-21

 

20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;  21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

 

 

As a person in leadership at church, this  is one of the most frustrating phenomena that occurs.  I have even seen people quickly rise to places of leadership, even become ministers, then have this happen.  When hardship or persecution comes, they run and they stumble.  They do not have the "stick-to-it" attitude that ensures success.

 

We all have a flesh to contend with.  For those who have lived a life of sin, there may be more to deal with when they come to Christ.  Obviously a former drug addict will have more baggage and relationship issues to navigate than will a seven year old kid who receives Christ while living in a Godly home.  The power of God is just as effective in either case to help the Christian succeed, but sometimes we allow our dysfunction and the "rocks" of our personality to stunt the growth of our vine.

Christianity is not a guarantee of a smooth sailing, worry-free life.  It is a warfare  and there  will be obstacles to contend with.  But in Christ we have the strength and power to succeed and even thrive.  And on the other side of all of this,  we have a promise of eternity.

 Dear Lord, help me to have deep roots that are not shaken by the storms of life.  Help me to support those who are new in their faith and struggling.  I pray also, Lord Jesus, for the new converts that I know.  Help them to put down a deep root system and not be discouraged.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.