"Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."
Deceitfulness of wealth
The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful Matt 13:22I must have read the Parable of the Sower 1,000 times – yes I really am that old! However, I never remember reading that phrase “deceitfulness of wealth” before.
Jesus often warns about the dangers of a love of money. People often say that the 3 great areas of temptation in the modern world are money, power and sex. But rarely is it so poignantly expressed as here.
I recently read this quote from the legendary cricket, Sharne Warne: “It’s something we always hear – that old adage that money can’t buy happiness – but we never believe it until we see it for ourselves.”
We know that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10) but somehow we still fall for the deceit. How easily do we say “if only my sponsor renews that contract… if my club offers me a new contract I will be OK”. How often do we see TV adverts implying that winning the lottery – or whatever – will make us happy.
Of course we all need money but keep it in proportion and don’t be deceived by its claims. And don’t let thoughts of wealth choke God’s word.