Scorched

Coosa River Farm





"And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away." (Mark 4:6)

Our summertime campfire grew a bit too hot and scorched half of  a nearby pine tree. But because deep roots connect it to the vital source of water and nutrients, my superman, forester Phillip, predicts the tree will survive and rebound. 

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus began to teach a very large crowd gathered at the seashore. 

"Listen," He said. "Behold, the sowers went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Others seed fell on the rocky ground where it immediately sprang up but it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns that came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

As soon as Jesus was alone with His disciples, He explained, "The sower sows the word of God. When some hear the word, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown. Others hear the word and immediately receive it with joy, but because they are ungrounded and not rooted, the word withers away when scorched by affliction or persecution. Others hear the word, but the worries of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things choke the word and make it unfruitful. Yet others hear the word and accept it into good hearts and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

Problems or worries or deceptions or desires scorching the life out of you, beloved? Survive. Rebound. Stay rooted in God's word and in God's arms, your Source for today, tomorrow, and forever.

"For if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things  [withered and] passed away; behold, [living, growing, fruitful] new things have come."  (2 Cor. 5:17)