Weeds

I hate weeds.

Last Saturday, I pulled a bunch of weeds from around the white house (in Culpeper, not D.C.) in preparation for the Fourth of July cookout.

I needed to use thick gloves because they were the thorny type.

The type that dares you to even touch them, much less pull them from the ground.

I hate weeds.

My earliest memories of weeds involve my father teaching us to weed the garden in the backyard and then (freed from this chore)him gleefully returning to the house as we pulled up anything green that looked out of place.

He no longer has us to weed the plants that he has on his property in central Florida, but the weeds are here as well.

Weeds are insidious. They’ll take root and then it’s almost impossible to defeat them.

If you pull them out and leave the tiniest fraction of a root, they’ll grow right back.

They are persistent.

Weeds feed off the nutrients meant for your plants. They slurp up precious water and crowd out young plants.

Jesus spoke of how His Kingdom would spread; and what His followers could expect as they joined in the work.

Weeds. Thorny weeds.

Seemingly immovable, weeds pop up in our lives. The longer we walk with Jesus, the more they seem to ensnare us.

We celebrate great victories; only to end up frightened by that which is not true.

How many lies to we allow to surround us each day?

I am unloved. I am out of control. I have no worth. I am hopeless.

So many lies…

Jesus had sharp words for the self-righteous religious people of His day.

“For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

How do we stop listening to the lies?

You starve them.

Philippians 4:4-9 reads:
“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

What lies have I believed about myself, my loved ones, my friends, and God?

How have they stunted my growth?

What can I do to fight back and hold onto truth?



Remember, we are called to bloom where we're planted.

Joe

Related Verses
Matthew 13:18-23
“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.