Luke 8.14 explains 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.

Not too many Christians are happy with the current state of world affairs. Too much violence, too many corrupt people in high places, not enough economic growth and opportunities; unrest seems to be the norm.

What are the issues? The same ones that have plagued humanity from our beginning: selfishness, greed, power.

All of these desires and the worries that come with wanting them or being a victim to them who are taking them from us are the result of a focus on gaining and accumulating the things of this world rather than focusing on God and the riches of His Kingdom.

We were made by God to obey God. To obey God we must know the will of God. To know the will of God we must read and study the Word of God.

Obedience to God is not burdensome for He is humble and gentle in nature. Imagine if God were hateful, vain and spiteful, how bad then would this world be? The world is corrupt because men are evil not because God is evil. Men disobey God resulting in problems for the rest of humanity and the world in which we live.

It is our nature to disobey God. We are born with the DNA of defiance called sin in our hearts. This is why we need a Savior. We are not born good then go bad, we are born bad and continue to do bad until we are born again with the Spirit Who comes to empower us to do good. Not good as men define good but good as God defines good.

If we are to do the good God desires us to do then we must focus first on Him and the doing of His will which is recorded in the Bible. We cannot do the will of God remaining ignorant of the word of God. If we are consumed with worries about things in this life, if we are pursuing wealth and pleasure in this life, we will not be able to do the will of God.

When we observe the world we see little of the effects of many doing the will of God, yet most people claim to believe in God. There is a disconnect between what we believe and what we do.

God said where our treasure is there our hearts are, a simple review of our expenditures will reveal if we are really about building God’s kingdom or if we are busy pursuing riches and pleasures of this world. Our calendars too reveal the commitment we truly have to the work of God.

If the world is to be a better place then Christians must focus on doing the will of God. The will of God only becomes our priority after we have denied ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus.