What is the cares of this world?

The cares of this world in the Parable of the Sower

And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

(Matthew 13:7)

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

(Matthew 13:22)

According to the Parable of the Sower, Jesus said that while the sower was scattering the seeds, some of the seeds fell among thorns. When the seed germinated and grew, the thorns also grew with it and choked it such that it became unfruitful. When Jesus was explaining the parable, He identified the thorns to be some factors that hinder a believer from bearing fruit. The factors are:

(1) The cares of this world, Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14
(2) The deceitfulness of riches, Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19
(3) The lusts of other things, Mark 4:19
(4) The pleasures of this life, Luke 8:14

What does the cares of this world mean?

The term cares of this world or cares of this life refers to the things in this world that we become obsessed and preoccupied with. Or. The term cares of this world or the cares of this life could refer to the things that concern our lives on this earth so much that we tend to be obsessed or preoccupied with them. In this vein, the cares of the world are things that are incorporated into our earthly lives so much that we cannot do away with them; rather, we live with them day in and day out, whether you are a Christian or an unbeliever. Therefore, the cares of this world consist of a wide range of things such as:

• One’s pursuits such as career, education, aims, goals, and ambitions.
• Material things such as houses, cars, clothes, money, etc.
• Necessities such as food, medical care, home, clothes, etc.
• One’s responsibilities or duties such as paying medical bills, school fees, domestic bills, etc.
• Relationship matters
• Job security
• Financial security
• etc.

Jesus’ sermon on the cares of this life

There has always been a high temptation for people to worry about this life and in fact, almost every person is worried about life in one way or the other. Jesus did not want this for His disciples, knowing that the cares of this world would disrupt their relationship with God. Jesus said:

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴ “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.  Reference Matthew 6:25-34

Signs of caring about this world

Christians who care about this world become overambitious. They tend to have high expectations and wish to possess or achieve so many things in a short time.

Christians who care about this world are discontent in life. First of all, such Christians are overambitious and when they do not lay their hands on the things they desire or wish to achieve, they become very discontent, and ungrateful, and think God has not done enough for them.

Christians who care about this world or this life are envious. Discontentment paves the way for many ill-feeling in a person. When a Christian who cares about this world and is dissatisfied sees the prosperity of others, he becomes envious.

Christians who care about this world are normally unfaithful to God in paying tithe. They think they have so many needs that it is not fair to give 10% of their earnings to God. Generally, they shun contributing financially to God’s work and helping the poor.

Christians who care about this world have lost their first love. The cares of this world will inevitably cause a Christian to lose his zeal for God; he will have little or no time for prayer, Bible study, fasting, fellowshipping, evangelism, etc.

Dangers of the cares of this world

Christians who avail themselves to be driven by the cares of this world face a danger. In the parable of the sower, Jesus Christ identified the cares of this world or the cares of this life as the thorns that prevented the seed from bearing fruit. It means that Christians who care about this world scarcely walk in obedience to the word of God and hence do not bear fruits such as love, honesty, patience, faith, etc. When your heart is heavy with the cares of this world, the word of God which you have believed would have very little impact on your life. It is not far for Christians who care about this world to be unfruitful because, normally, their lives are characterized by discontentment, bitterness, covetousness, ungratefulness, etc. Examples: Some professing Christians out there are stealing from their employers, the church, the company, etc. all in the quest for a luxurious life, paying the mortgage, paying bills, acquiring a new car, fulfilling household responsibilities, etc.

Christians whose lives are run by the cares of this world turn to crave a lot of things leading them to covetousness, extravagance, and or materialism. And if they do not lay their hands on their cravings, eventually, they lose their joy and peace in the Lord and become discontent, ungrateful, and offended with God.  

Discontentment paves the way for many ill-feeling later. When a Christian who cares about this world and is dissatisfied sees the prosperity of other Christians or of other people, he becomes envious. Envy will make him feel disappointed and will make him question God’s fairness and will make him disregard the essence of serving God.

Many Christians care about this world to the point where their joy becomes centered on the things in the world – that is, they are only happy in life because there is huge money in their bank account, they have a big mansion in a rich neighborhood, they can go on an expensive vacation, buy luxury cars, etc. Know for certain that, if your joy is not in the Lord but in the things you possess, then your love for God is almost dead and your relationship with God is on the verge of collapse.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Even after coming to Christ, if you do not put behind you the cares of this world, you shall lose this rest in Christ because of entangling yourself with the cares of this world. Some Christians are so weary, tired, broken, desperate in life because they are constantly worrying about money for a vacation, the bills, new clothes, etc.

A Christian who cares about this world is normally unfaithful to God in tithe payment. Supposing he receives a salary of 2000, and he is to pay 200 as tithe, he thinks that the 200 he is to give God is too much. And using his rent, bills, or responsibilities as an excuse, he would pay something less than that for tithe. Moreover, a Christian of this caliber hardly contributes when it comes to supporting charity work, and it is not that he is poor, but being under the influence of the cares of this life, he is obsessed with acquiring a new car, a new house, reserving much money in his bank account, etc. than helping others.

There are some Christian brothers and sisters you have not seen in church for a while. If you visit them and ask them why, they use flimsy excuses to justify why they have not been coming to church. For the most part, such Christians have been weighed down by the cares of this world and have lost their zeal and first love. I have seen Christians who hop from one church to another because there is something in life that they desperately seek which could be marriage, prosperity, glory, money, etc. And when they do not get it in church A, they leave for church B – they become wanderers.  

How to overcome the cares of this world or the cares of this life

It is not as though God wants or expects Christians to be poor. Not at all. Poverty is a disaster in itself – many lives are being ruined because of it. Christians need cars, good clothes, good houses, good food, and be able to fulfill their responsibility, pay bills, mortgages, etc. God knows we need all these and He would want us to have them. In fact, He is willing to give all these things to us, but first, He would like us to do this: ‘seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)’ Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness consists of:

• Love God so much that whether rich or poor you are willing to serve Him.
• Have a daily Bible study and a daily prayer life
• Living your life in obedience to His word to please Him.
• Fellowshipping with other Christians

Worrying about life brings no benefit to a Christian. Rather it weighs him down and quenches his zeal for the Lord. Therefore God made a provision in His word to teach Christians about what we ought to do about our cares or worries. It is written: ‘Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:7)’. Let us apply these verses of Scripture in our lives and we shall overcome the cares of this world.

It is not wrong to acquire a luxury car, a good mansion, a good life, etc. However, a Christian should try as much as possible to avoid extravagance. And in a bid to acquire the good things you desire, you should not shun paying your tithe faithfully, and should not shun helping the needy and contributing financially to God’s work in general.