There are times when all of us, at some point of time, get choked up due to personal loss, pain, crisis, and privation in life. It doesn’t matter if you are wealthy or poor; troubles and problems in life visit everyone, irrespective of who we are. Some crises pass with time, but some seem to be perpetual and unending. The blessings that boost us and the storms in life that hit us are both necessary to maintain sanity in life. No amount of wealth, influence, or connection can take us out of what we are going through. And please don’t blame it on karma, an ideology that we squeeze in when we lack a sufficient answer to life problems.
Jeremiah Knight, Author and co-founder of The Reformation Resurgence and a pastor, states, “Faith is not about using the future to escape the present. Or vice versa. Faith is about knowing that Christ is present in the future and the present.” Christians believe Christ Jesus exists in the past, present, and future. You may wonder why I do not name other gods and religions when there are thousands? It is just because the Bible is the only book that is cohesive when referring to incidents, events, places, and characters. All are verifiable factors in history and archeology. Dates match, events match, and every single detail matches, including the life of Jesus.
Jesus’ resurrection overturned all the tables in history. His resurrection, everything He said are credible. Timothy Keller, an American pastor and author, in his book “The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism,” stated, “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”. This is a powerful statement. What are you waiting for? There are open sources you can cross-check. It’s best to start reading the book of John in the Bible to find a detailed narrative about who Jesus was and what He said about life, death, and the afterlife. There is no ambiguity at all.
Talking about choking up, Jesus, in one of the parables of the Sower, was stating how the Sower went to sow the seed and some fell along the path, some fell on the rock, some fell on the thorns, and yet some fell on the good ground, and He was narrating the consequences in detail. He referred to the seed as His word. The seeds (His word) that fell among thorns were choked by many factors. “As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches and pleasures in life, and produce no mature fruit.”
It is interesting that Jesus referred to being choked by worries, riches, and pleasures. We usually assume that when one is overwhelmed with pain, it is because the person is possibly encountering worries. But not necessarily. Many are wounded more by riches and pleasures than by worries. When evil cannot shake you through pain, it will distract you with pleasures. You cannot fight this battle alone. You need someone more powerful than you, beyond human power, to help you when you are choked by worries, riches, or pleasures. Jesus is the right fit because of who He is, the life He led, His sacrifice, death, and resurrection. You can commit your life to prayer and study to know Him better and be transformed with peace and purpose.
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