Day 19 - Week 3 Day 5 In the Weeds

Today's reading

Genesis 29:21 - 30:24

Isaiah 16

Matthew 13:18-43

(We are skipping Psalms today because the next Psalm is longer and we'll spend more time on it tomorrow)

Thought for the day.

When I was young, my family had a large vegetable garden (as a small kid, it seemed big).  Some of the chores that us kids were expected to do included weeding the garden.  I did such a bad job, I think my parents felt that it better to save the garden than have me remove good plants that I thought were weeds but weren't.

I see the same thing happening when Sylvia is weeding her flower gardens.  If she has help, she's always nervous the person helping (seldom me....she's smart that way) will take out good plants and not do a great job removing the weeds.

Sometimes it's better to wait until the plant has grown when it becomes easy to tell the difference  and then remove the weed and let the beauty of the good plant show through.

Jesus is talking in parables in Matthew 13.  In short, Matthew 13:24-30 is a parable that says the Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a person who has planted good wheat seed in his field.  While the workers were sleeping, the enemy came in to the field and planted weeds that appear similar to wheat.  The workers realize in the morning and tell the land owner.  They wondered if they should try to remove the weeds but the landowner says wait until the harvest.  Then separate the good wheat from the weeds.  Burn the weeds and save the good wheat in the storehouses.

Jesus explains this one.  The one who sowed the good seeds is Jesus (The Son of Man).  The good seeds are the seeds of the kingdom (Jesus followers).  The bad seeds are those planted by the evil one (Satan).  In the end, the end of time, the good and bad wheat is separated and those who are of Jesus remain.

As Jesus Followers, we are surrounded by those who represent a false Jesus.  They may be wealthy, powerful, other people we want to be like, they may represent a different faith and they may simply be evil.  Often, they come across as Jesus Followers but are not.  Even in churches we find those who do not represent the Kingdom, but they are disguised as Jesus followers.  Jesus does not say he'll remove them in life. In fact, he leaves them there. 

There is no point in shielding yourself from the representatives of the enemy, the enemy will be there no matter what you do.  So what do we do?

1. Know Jesus - If you really know Jesus, you will recognize the imposters
2. Read and Study God's word - It's taken me over 50 years to do both...I've read for years but this is the first time I've been really studying it.
3. Surround yourself with authentic Jesus followers those who will walk with you in faith
• You'll recognize them by Steps 1 and 2
4. Practice your faith out loud around "the weeds" - Others will see how you are different. Maybe Jesus is using you to plant more good seed or maybe turning a weed in to wheat.

I read a facebook post the other day where someone was saying, teach your kids to navigate in this faithless world but I'd like to take it a step further.  Learn to navigate and plant more good seed.  After all, we are called to that!  The cool thing about plants is they reseed.  Wheat seed (kernels) grow on the wheat plant at the top of the stalks.  That means you as the wheat plant can plant wheat seeds and you don't even know it!!!

Be the Seeds in the Weeds!!!