2. BLESSINGS, OR HINDRANCES?
“And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” Mark 4:18-19

3. The heavenly Father knows how to give good gifts to His children.
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” (James 1:17)
God “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)

4. The heavenly Father knows how to give good gifts to His children.
“… God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17)
2 Corinthians 9:8-11

5. Riches and wealth can be deceitful.
The value of a man’s life is not measured by the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15).
God describes riches as uncertain (1 Timothy 6:17).
Earthly treasures can be destroyed by nature or be stolen by men (Matthew 6:19).

6. Riches and wealth can be deceitful.
Riches are vanity (Ecclesiastes):
Money and abundance do not satisfy (5:10).
Increase leads to greater consumption (5:11).
Riches cause sleep deprivation (5:12).
Hoarded riches don’t benefit the owner (5:13).
All can be lost in one bad investment (5:14).
In death everything is left to others (5:15).
Chance can deprive the owner of enjoyment (6:2).

7. Guard your heart from trusting in earthly blessings.
Earthly riches can pull us away from making eternal investments (1 Timothy 6:19; Matthew 6:20).
Prosperity can make a person conceited (1 Timothy 6:17).
Being overly concerned about life’s necessities weaken our trust that God will truly feed and clothe us (Matthew 6:24, 25, 28, 30-31).

8. Guard your heart from trusting in earthly blessings.
Earthly comforts can make us too comfortable and too settled in this world (Philippians 4:12).
Riches can captivate us so that we become unwilling to deny ourselves of the things to which we have become attached (Matthew 19:21-26).