The definition of erosion is this: The gradual wearing away of solid materiel. It happens to rocks, beaches land, normal everyday things -like wind, water, and ice- take something that was once so strong and durable and make it weaker and softer, until eventually it carries it away and deposits it somewhere else.
The Bible says in Mark 4:19 "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." The Word of God is the bread of life. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1). Jesus was the Word made flesh (John 1:14). Jesus came to trade His life for ours, by his substitution for us on the cross. When the earth was formed by God, it was at first without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the earth, nothing living was on it. Them God spoke the Word and life came to the earth. The word fruit means the offspirng of, or what is born of. The fruit of the Word is that it gives us life! When we start eroding, the word becomes unfruitful, and it stops giving us life. We become spiritually dead, instead of alive in Christ.
Mark 4:19 is a formula of how to spiritually erode. When we first recieve salvation, we are as solid as a rock. We are standing on the rock. The church was built upon a rock, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against. I recall times in my life where I just would witness to anybody, my worship was unhindered, there was no such thing as depression or discourage touching me, I felt like I could do anything through Christ. Then I started to erode, not overnight, but slowly and surely, without even recognizing it immediately, little parts of me began being carried out to sea, far from the peaceful shore. If not for the goodness of God I would not be back to where I was, but He remade me and I am now better than I was before!
First, the cares of this world are involved in spiritual erosion. These don't have to be sin. They can be anything. They can be a weight. Hebrews tells us to lay aside every sin and weight that so easily besets us. The Christ-follower should not be entangled with the things of this life. God will give you blessings, but never let your blessings become a curse. "Things" have a way of gripping your heart, and exalting themselves above God in your life. Whether it's a relationship, a new car, a house, a career, NEVER let it steal your heart. Colossions says set your affections on things above, not on things of earth. John wrote that if you love the things of this world, the love of the Father is not in you. The best thing you can do with material items is just giving them to God. The things even the people you love were loaned to you, to show the world Christ's glory.
The deceitfulness of riches is next. Man can not serve God and mammon. The love of money is the root of all evil. It is easy to get a job that pays more money, and start loving money. Money buys you things. Money is good, but money is not God. As Christians we are to count everything we gain as loss. You know you start loving money when you recieve a paycheck and say to yourself "how can I spend this after tithes", and not how can I honor God with this money. What you spend your free time, and extra money on, tells you where your values are. Money starts pulling you away from Christ, when you start using it to make yourself comfortable, not to bring Him pleasure.
The lusts of other things is the last in the tri-fecta. Lust doesn't just mean sexual desire. It is in fact a strong overwhelming desire for anything. This is the underlying cause of any heart problems. Jesus wants all our love, all our affection. When you lust after something, it blinds your judgement, you will sin in order to get it. These things we lust after, they consume us, when God is the ultimate consuming fire. It is time the church cast down their idols and returned to their first love. Every man is drawn away when enticed by his own lusts, and when lust is conceived it brings forth sin, which brings forth death.
Spiritual erosion happens little by little. It will take you by surpirse, it will happen before you even know it. It happens when you take your eyes off the prize, when you stop pressing towards the mark, when you become distracted. Little by little the things of this world fight for our attention, and we become colder and deader to the things of God, and we start eroding far from the peaceful shore. The way back is to passionately pursue Christ. Christ is the reason to live, the reason to die, the only thing worth living for, the very blood flowing through our veins. He is ours and we are His, he paid for us, and not a cheap price at all. He was ripped off, but He loves us so much, that He was willing to pay too much for us. He owes us nothing, yet He still gives. We owe Him everything.
Stop being washed away by the things of this world, let Christ rule everything you do.
The deceitfulness of riches is next. Man can not serve God and mammon. The love of money is the root of all evil. It is easy to get a job that pays more money, and start loving money. Money buys you things. Money is good, but money is not God. As Christians we are to count everything we gain as loss. You know you start loving money when you recieve a paycheck and say to yourself "how can I spend this after tithes", and not how can I honor God with this money. What you spend your free time, and extra money on, tells you where your values are. Money starts pulling you away from Christ, when you start using it to make yourself comfortable, not to bring Him pleasure.
The lusts of other things is the last in the tri-fecta. Lust doesn't just mean sexual desire. It is in fact a strong overwhelming desire for anything. This is the underlying cause of any heart problems. Jesus wants all our love, all our affection. When you lust after something, it blinds your judgement, you will sin in order to get it. These things we lust after, they consume us, when God is the ultimate consuming fire. It is time the church cast down their idols and returned to their first love. Every man is drawn away when enticed by his own lusts, and when lust is conceived it brings forth sin, which brings forth death.
Spiritual erosion happens little by little. It will take you by surpirse, it will happen before you even know it. It happens when you take your eyes off the prize, when you stop pressing towards the mark, when you become distracted. Little by little the things of this world fight for our attention, and we become colder and deader to the things of God, and we start eroding far from the peaceful shore. The way back is to passionately pursue Christ. Christ is the reason to live, the reason to die, the only thing worth living for, the very blood flowing through our veins. He is ours and we are His, he paid for us, and not a cheap price at all. He was ripped off, but He loves us so much, that He was willing to pay too much for us. He owes us nothing, yet He still gives. We owe Him everything.
Stop being washed away by the things of this world, let Christ rule everything you do.
Good thought and needful!
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