In Mark 4:13 – 20 when the Lord is explaining the parable of the soils to the disciples; He tells them that the seed sown among the thorns are the ones where the worries of the world, etc. enter in and choke the Word and it becomes unfruitful.
John echoes this in 1 John 2:15 – 17. Problem is, we live in this world.
I wrote five days ago that I was on hold with the IRS for about an hour. They have sent me a bill for a penalty that I do not owe. They are essentially asking me to pay for their incompetence. I had to put together a package that they will “consider”. In the middle of November I got a letter from them telling me that they needed another 45 days to figure out what to do. Two weeks ago I got a letter telling me that they were going to levy my property to get the money that they had not had time to determine if I actually owed. Which generated the hour on hold.
Today I got a letter from them that informed me that they need another 45 days to cogitate on this really complicated matter. I guess they are busy working on how to collect all of the new taxes that went into effect on January 1.
So what does one do with this in light of Mark 4:13 – 20 and 1 John 2:15 – 17?
To me the intriguing thing in the Mark 4 passage is the verb, “enter in”. I have a choice here. I have a choice on what issues I allow entry into a central place in my thinking. 1 John also helps here. This is only money – money and the side issue that I do not like what the government is doing with my taxes, but this is not a political blog… Like Christ told the Pharisees in Mark 12:13 – 17, it is not Christ’s picture on the money. We give what belongs to the government what is the government’s. We give to God what is His.
We are His.
I cannot let what is meaningless distract me from His claim on my life. I have to give it the minimum effort, to resolve it. But I cannot allow it to enter in…
John echoes this in 1 John 2:15 – 17. Problem is, we live in this world.
I wrote five days ago that I was on hold with the IRS for about an hour. They have sent me a bill for a penalty that I do not owe. They are essentially asking me to pay for their incompetence. I had to put together a package that they will “consider”. In the middle of November I got a letter from them telling me that they needed another 45 days to figure out what to do. Two weeks ago I got a letter telling me that they were going to levy my property to get the money that they had not had time to determine if I actually owed. Which generated the hour on hold.
Today I got a letter from them that informed me that they need another 45 days to cogitate on this really complicated matter. I guess they are busy working on how to collect all of the new taxes that went into effect on January 1.
So what does one do with this in light of Mark 4:13 – 20 and 1 John 2:15 – 17?
To me the intriguing thing in the Mark 4 passage is the verb, “enter in”. I have a choice here. I have a choice on what issues I allow entry into a central place in my thinking. 1 John also helps here. This is only money – money and the side issue that I do not like what the government is doing with my taxes, but this is not a political blog… Like Christ told the Pharisees in Mark 12:13 – 17, it is not Christ’s picture on the money. We give what belongs to the government what is the government’s. We give to God what is His.
We are His.
I cannot let what is meaningless distract me from His claim on my life. I have to give it the minimum effort, to resolve it. But I cannot allow it to enter in…
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