Mark 4:19
‘Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.’ Mark 4>19
Jim was a keen Christian at university. He attended the Christian Union and regularly went to one of the “Student Churches” on a Sunday. He was well known as a Christian and well liked with plenty of friends. He was one of the organizers of the university mission and generally involved in student and university life. When his course finished he moved into his chosen career back near home.
Jim became career focused, it was important to him to succeed, make a good income and be well thought of at work. To start with he still found time to go to church on Sundays but gradually life got more complicated. Once he found a woman, Clara, he wanted to live with and she was not keen on church it became more important to him to spend time with her when not working. He suggested marriage but she said what was the point, most marriages broke up and then it was loads more difficult to separate. A couple of years later and she was pregnant and Jim decided it was now time to get a bigger house and mortgage. He hadn’t been inside a church for over a year. His old friends, especially his Christian ones, had largely dropped off and now he and Clara only saw friends they had made together. Life had somehow got too full to be an active Christian. He hadn’t stopped believing deep down but there were no outward signs of his faith, he swore more, he drank more and he had stopped worrying about ethics at work and was prepared to do whatever was needed to close a deal even though he sometimes knew it would hurt the other party. He had a brief affair with a colleague’s wife whom he met at a work social event. Sometimes when he was entirely on his own he tried to pray but now it felt false.
For the sake of this bible reflection Jim’s story is an amalgam of several different people. However, it is similar to that of many who find they drift away from their first love of Jesus one stage at a time.
What other choices could Jim have made?
Who did Jim progressively strive to be like?
Who or what did Jim love most?
How did Jim’s choices impact the Christian fruitfulness of his life?
What was the impact of sin on Jim’s relationship with Jesus?
Please listen to Chris Tomlin’s song.
Chris Tomlin – Lord I Need You