Planting Seeds or Pulling Weeds?

If your yard is anything like mine, as much as I enjoy the flowers, plants, and green grass, weeds are popping up everywhere. Earlier this spring, I spent so much time planting seeds, bulbs, and bushes. Now that they are growing and the weather is warmer, weeds are inevitable.

It seems I spend much more time now pulling weeds and trying to keep the plants and bushes groomed, fertilized, watered. Caring for a yard and garden takes work.

How about our marriages, our family, our friendships, our coworkers? All those relationships can have weeds of problems grow up in the middle. It takes work to keep the weeds out, to water and fertilize the relationships. Weeds can be dangerous, stunt growth, and even choke your yard and your relationships.

Telling people about Jesus is different, though. We are to plant seeds about Jesus and His love and salvation. Pulling those “weeds” of non-believers is God’s job. We are not to judge.

“Jesus told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared…’The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?”

‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grown together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters; First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'” –Matthew 13:24-26, 28-30.

As we go about our days, may we tend to the gardens of our hearts with love and tender care, planting, fertilizing, watering, and even pulling weeds of obstacles out of our relationships. Keep planting seeds for Jesus, friend. He will harvest them in His time.

PS Congratulations to Joan (ajhjrobert@comcast.net) and Kathy (kmknutson@gmail.com) who were randomly selected from last week’s comments as winners of Lysa TerKeurst’s book What Happens When Women Walk in Faith. May the book strengthen your faith as it has mine. It is so humbling to reach each of your amazing comments from May 19th’s “Finding Faith in the Fog” Proverbs 31 devotional. God is with you. To God be the Glory!

Reflect:

To whom have you planted seeds about Jesus and His love recently?

How are you tending the gardens of your relationships and your heart?

Renew:

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-9

Respond:

What seeds will you plan to plant for Jesus this week?

The Voice

Watching segments of the “AD” Bible-based television series has been inspiring to me. It has taken much courage to use this platform to tell others about Jesus. It begs the question, “How am I using my voice, my platform, to tell others about Jesus and His love and my salvation?”

“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples; He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him. Now I have told you.’ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell His disciples.” –Matthew 28: 5-8 NIV.

Isn’t it precious that two women found Jesus’ tomb empty and were empowered to tell the disciples the Good News? Women back then typically had no voice or place in society, yet were such an important part of Jesus’ ministry.

Like the women on Easter morning, Beloved, we may be afraid yet filled with joy to tell others about Jesus and what He means in our lives. Have courage. You have a voice to use it for His glory to tell this Good News and encourage others to strengthen their faith.

I am reminded of the following story about using our voices to tell others about Jesus.

In the mid-1950s, the Rev. W.E. Sangster noticed a strange feeling in his throat and that his leg had begun to drag. He promptly went to visit his doctor. Rev. Sangster was diagnosed with an incurable disease that caused progressive muscle atrophy. His muscles would continue to waste away, including the muscles in his throat, and he would eventually be unable to swallow.

Knowing that his time was growing short, Rev. Sangster decided to use his time in writing for British home mission and in prayer. During this time, he wrote numerous articles and books, and organized prayer groups throughout England. His disease did progress. Eventually he was unable to talk, but he could hold a pen.

On Easter Sunday, just a few weeks before he died, he wrote a letter to his daughter. Barely able to control his pen, he wrote, “It is terrible to wake up on Easter morning and no voice to shout, ‘Christ is risen, indeed!’ But it would be still more terrible to have a voice and not want to shout.”

Amen. May we use our voices and our platforms to “go and tell” others how Jesus’s empty tomb filled our hearts with hope.

PS. One month ago, on Saturday, March 14, 2015, at 5pm in the afternoon, I was involved in a serious six-car accident, hit by a man charged with Driving Under the Influence. My car was totaled. For those of you who know, please forgive me for not being able to write about it yet. I am humbled that God spared my life. It has been too sacred to write about it. Psalm 91:4. One day I will use my voice to describe this experience. One day…. To God be the Glory! Thank you for your patience as the magnitude of the miracle marinates.

Reflect:

–How has your faith been strengthened and how will you use your voice to tell others? Please comment.

Renew:

–“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.” –1 Corinthians 15: 3-6 NIV

–“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” –Galatians 5:22-25 NIV

Recharge:

–What will you do this week to spread the Good News? To bear fruit?