The Million Dollar Life
By William M. Self, Sr.
Jesus gives us three warning signs for choking
Worry, Riches, Pleasure
Choking
Choking… We all have experienced it.
Choking is when something obstructs
the air flow to our lungs.
From our mouth we both breathe and eat.
Both are meant to bring life and pleasure.
Both are necessary for life.
It is important we do not get anything but air in our lungs.
God made us so that our air pipe protects our lungs
from foreign objects getting into the lungs.
When something tries to go down the airway
(wrong pipe), the body tries to force it out.
If the object is not removed, the oxygen stored in the blood
and lungs will only
keep the person alive for several minutes.
2 Timothy 3:16 says… “All
Scripture is God breathed”
As important as air is to our life, so is God’s Word.
Jesus takes the illustration of choking to show
us the importance of not allowing anything
to get in the way of God’s
Word.
The average respiratory rate in a healthy
adult is 12 to 18
breaths per minute.
It is important that God’s Word is able
to flow naturally and freely as breathing.
Jesus talks about three things we should watch out for.
Three things that can cause choking.
Just like eating too fast or too much can result in choking,
so can these three
things choke out the Word or Breath of God.
They are … “Worries”
Worry can cause you to hyperventilate keeping
the Word of God from giving you peace.
The second cause of choking Jesus speaks of is… “Riches”
God’s Word is like Apples of Gold.
It is in His Word we are to find our provision.
When we trust in riches, we choke off God’s provision.
The third cause Jesus gives is… “Pleasure”
The Psalmist says He delights in God’s precepts, law, Word.
The message is simple… Don’t let worries, riches, pleasures
restrict or get in the way of one breath.
Don’t let them go down the wrong pipe.
Life does not consist of worries, riches or pleasures…
But by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
.
Scripture Reading
Ephesians
1:18-19 NIV
18 I pray
also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in
order that
you may know the hope to which he has called you,
the riches
of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his
incomparably great power for us who believe.
Luke 8:11-15
NIV
11
"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.
12 Those
along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes
away the
word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
13 Those on
the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it,
but they have no root. They believe for a
while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
14 The seed
that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their
way they are
choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
15 But the
seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart,
who hear the
word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
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