Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Many years ago, one of the neighbors went out to the barn to start up a vehicle that they hadn’t used in a few years. One of their children had just gotten their driver’s license, and they were going to let them use it as their first vehicle. It was pretty dirty from sitting so long, but it was still in really good shape. They pulled out a good battery from another car, and the motor quickly turned over, but it wouldn’t stay running. Assuming it was low on fuel, they filled it up with a gas can, but their efforts were fruitless. By the smell of gasoline emanating from the vehicle, it was clearly flooded. After opening up the hood and removing the air cleaner, they were surprised to find a huge nest blocking all of the air flow to the motor which prevented the engine from getting the oxygen that it needed to run,
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Our minds can be like a carburetor, and like a large nest built inside of an air cleaner, the things of this world can clutter up one’s relationship with God. Unless these obstructions are cleared out, they will only suffocate God’s Word from reaching the heart.
Mark 4 ¹⁸ And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, ¹⁹ And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Each of us needs oxygen to survive, but sometimes things can obstruct its path. Many years ago I can remember sitting in my neighbors living room, when I suddenly realized that a young boy across the room was beginning to choke on something. You could see that he was getting very nervous and was beginning to turn a very light shade of blue. As I was trained in CPR as a lifeguard, I quickly came up behind him and gave him the Heimlich maneuver, and eventually a ping pong ball came flying out of his throat. You could feel the air filling his lungs as he gasped for breath, relieved that he was delivered from a situation that could have ended his physical life. Likewise, some people will become a Christian but the things of this world will suffocate their loyalty and obedience to the gospel. Like that ping pong ball, if these things are not removed from their lives, it will only lead to their death and the loss of their own salvation.
1 John 2 ¹⁵ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
There are all kinds of different things in this world that can prevent God’s Word from reaching and remaining close to your heart and can begin to take greater importance in one’s life than pursuing the will of God. All of these worldly things can cloud one’s vision of the direction that God wants to take them, and blind them of the reason for which they were created. The first and great command is to love God above and beyond anything else, and when anything in this world takes precedence over Him, then the love and devotion that is meant for Him is placed on other things instead. God’s purpose becomes suffocated in one’s life when anything is placed before Him, whether it’s seeking after earthly relationships, or the carnal desires of this world.
Luke 9 ⁵⁹ And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
⁶⁰ Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. ⁶¹ And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. ⁶² And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
We are called to love others, but never at the expense of complete obedience to the will of God. To enter eternal life we must be completely transformed into new creatures in Christ, but this will only happen if you continue to seek after the wisdom of God. It is through the knowledge of His will that we can turn away from all of the things that are displeasing to Him, and do what is right in His sight. People can claim they love God with their lips, but it is our obedience to God that is the proof that we love Him.
John 14 ²¹ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. ²² Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? ²³ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. ²⁴ He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
Sometimes when you wash dishes in the kitchen sink, the water won’t drain down the pipe and becomes clogged with all types of other things. You have to eventually clean the drain of any obstructions in order for the water to flow. Up here in the woods, we have beavers that make quite a mess of things. It seems like they are constantly felling trees in an effort to jam up a stream and stop the flow of water. This can cause extreme flooding across rural roads, along with the ire of local residents, so occasionally the county might send a forester over to bust it all up, and clear the river of any obstructions. But this is exactly what we must do in our own lives, removing everything that prevents God’s Word from flowing into our hearts. When your heart loves the things of this world more than God, it’s like adding another stick to the Beaver dam, which will only obstruct the flow of God’s Truth, and make yourself into an enemy of God.
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4
Like a nest in an air cleaner, the cares of this world will begin to pile up in one’s heart, starving them of the Life giving oxygen of God’s Holy Word. We must always examine our lives by taking a good look under the hood, just to make sure that you don’t have a…..
…….Mouse in the Airbox
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.♥️
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