James 1: thoughts... part 1

One thing I've learned about eating the Word... is to take note of words that repeat... connecting one book to another... echoing throughout the Whole... connections that add insight and deepen meaning...

Read James 1

Last week... a word from the trail... on the not quite right day... connected with a word in James...

...wither... according to Webster's... to become dry and sapless... to lose vitality, force, or freshness...

The Word from James filling my thoughts...

For the sun rises with its scorching heat and dries up the grass;

 its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance is destroyed.

In the same way, the rich man will wither away

while pursuing his activities.

James 1:11

HCSB

(emphasis added)

Now... before leaving the trail... I knelt... opened the small Bible I'd taken from the car for the walk... just to see if there was one more thought to take home...

Matthew 13... the sower... the seed that fell on all sorts of ground and the outcome of those seeds...

The connection...

Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil.

It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.

But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched,

and they withered because they had no root.

Matthew 13:5-6

(emphasis added)

The thought struck... deepened... the rich man... connected to... rocky places, where [the seed] did not have much soil...

Those who are rich... [and of course in the world-wide economic picture... anyone reading this is rich...] make rocky ground for God's Word... no place for roots to take hold...

The rocks... could they be... material possessions... distractions... pursuit of entertainment... pursuit of more... ?

...the rich man will wither while pursuing his activities...

He has a personal agenda to attend to... we have personal agendas... no room for God's Word... for God's Way...

The scorching... does it come from lack of trust in God... trusting wealth... more than the Savior...?

Jesus explains to His disciples...

The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places

 is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.

But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.

When trouble or persecution comes because of the word,

he quickly falls away.

Matthew 5:20-21 

The rich... the rocky... too much stuff to take root... no time to grow deeper in relationship with the One who brought joy... When trouble comes... does he return to his own way... to his own form of security... or is he the one who bought into the whole prosperity gospel... thinking God does not allow trouble to come to those He loves...? No time to pursue... and seek... the true God...?

It makes me think... do I know some who deceive themselves... thinking they are rooted... but distracted by their own activities... am I one...? Are we all just withering... not planting anything eternal... ignoring His call on our lives... too busy... too important...?

The rich... those who appear to have much... are rocky... lacking... no place for spiritual roots to grow...

Just a thought...