Please Call The Gardener! I Got Weeds!
“The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.” Matt 13:38-39 (ESV)
Greetings, Everyone!
Earlier this year, San Diego had tropical storms and floods that devastated the roads and personal property. I noticed that from the rain, my grass was a luscious green with weeds. Yes, Sister Diana had weeds in the front and backyard. So, I called my gardener to clean my yard and eradicate the weeds. What are weeds? They are valueless plants growing wild, especially ones that grow on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop. Looking at my worthless plants reminds me of the lies that Satan embeds in our hearts, making us feel as useless as the plants growing wild in my yard. Guess what? You are not worthless; you are a child of God and are encouraged to pay attention to the weeds in your heart.
In Matt. 15:10-20, Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees and His disciples about what defiles a person. Christ said, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matt. 15:18-19, ESV). So, what are the evil thoughts that can strangle you spiritually like weeds? Paul answered that question in Col. 3:8 (ESV), “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.” Having these weeds in your heart will not only corrupt your mind (Titus 1:15), God may not listen to your prayers, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12, ESV).
God wants us to stop being strangled by bitterness that we may have against someone or the choices that we have made in our lives. I read somewhere that you will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated. Do not, I repeat, do not neglect God’s progress in your life. When facing various trials and circumstances, discern God’s intentions to purify you and build your character. God cannot build on resentment, envy, and rivalry. We are supposed to love one another, “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;” (1 Pet. 1:22-23, ESV). As children of God, we must constantly prune our hearts through prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. Christ said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1-2, ESV).
Allow God to remove the strongholds and the bondages stopping you from serving Him. Isaiah 58:11 (ESV) says that “the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Imagine being a watered garden with no weeds. Remember, while the Holy Spirit is watering you, only God gives you spiritual growth (1 Corinth. 3:6-7, ESV). God loves you and is waiting to grow a magnificent garden within you.
