"They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful." Mark 4:19 ESV

When this blog posts it will be Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year in America. This traditionally begins the 30 day slide culminating on Christmas Day. I say slide because of the flurry of activities that dramatically escalate into a blur of; buying, wrapping, eating, cooking, baking, parties, special programs at church, Christmas trees, decorating your home, etc, leaving very little time for anything else.

It isn't an accident that this time of year begins with Thanksgiving, a time to pause, reflect and give thanks to God for the things He has done. And it culminates on Christmas Day which is the day that we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ! If the enemy can't defeat a believer, he just keeps him or her so busy that Jesus, the reason for this glorious season just takes a back seat to all of the activities.

It is amazing how innocuous things, activities, even church activities, and shopping can distract our attention from the Lord.

Jesus says in Luke 8:14; "And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life and their fruit does not mature." Now hear what Jesus says in John 15:8; "By this is My Father glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples."

If we aren't careful the cares, riches and pleasures of life will prevent us from bringing fruit to maturity. Fruit that isn't mature or ripe is worthless, good for nothing. Have you ever taken a bite out of unripened fruit, you spit it out of your mouth! We can look good on the outside but God looks on our hearts and He isn't fooled.

So as believers we can start today on this Black Friday and determine that this next 30 days won't end up like so many other years, where we lose our focus on Jesus and get caught up in the distractions. Let's be intentional with our time and use it wisely. Putting God first in our day will never cause us to lose any time, but ignoring Him because we are too busy always ends up costing us way more than just time!

The next 30 days are very special, full of divine opportunities, the harvest field is always white at this time of year, so let's stay focused on the reason for the season; Jesus Christ and share Him, the Good News and His love everywhere we go. All other gifts pale by comparison, let's give our very best!