Jesus warns us about the thorns in life that keep us from following him and being blessed.

The thorns are self-inflicted; we choose them. We are responsible for the thorns; they are not situations that happen to us.

Jesus specifically mentions three kinds of thorns (although anything that keeps us from following him is a thorn): worries, riches, and pleasures.

Worries feed our fear. It sees our problems as more powerful than God.

Riches feed our pride. It sees our resources as enough to meet our needs, keeping us independent from God.

Pleasures feed our desire. It sees our playful diversions as better than God’s peace and joy.

Let us look for the thorns! And with God’s help, unroot them from our hearts!