Thursday, October 08, 2009

Weeds

First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn (Matthew 13:30).

Why do children love dandelions? Can’t they tell that those aggravating plants are actually weeds? Or do they see something that we don’t?

I’ve heard weeds described this way: "a weed is any plant that is growing where you don’t want it." Weeds mess up the layout of our gardens. Weeds steal nutrients from our crops and get in the way at harvest time.

But a child doesn’t think about such things. When I was little, I just appreciated any plant that I thought looked interesting, regardless of where it was growing.

Many people think of Christians as weeds. We are scattered throughout their lives, and they don’t appreciate our presence. They don’t understand our morality. They want complete freedom to do as they please, and resent anyone who suggests limiting their behavior. Talk about Jesus annoys them, because they’d rather discuss fun stuff.

Since they see Christians as annoying weeds, they try to root us out. They make fun of Jesus and the Church. They try to get laws passed to limit religious talk and the distribution of Christian literature. They try to make us ashamed of God’s law by saying that we are narrow-minded and intolerant of others. In some parts of the world, Christians are targeted for kidnapping and murder.

But the Bible looks at weeds differently. When Jesus speaks of weeds, He’s referring to unbelievers. The world belongs to God, and He plants it with the seed of His holy Word. He sends pastors and missionaries to help the seedlings grow, and at the end of time His angels will separate the weeds from His harvest. The weeds will be burned in hell, and we will be brought to the Lord as the fruits of His labors.

Weeds don’t belong in God’s home. If you sometimes feel as if you don’t fit in because you follow Jesus, take heart—a day is coming when all weeds are uprooted, and you will have a place as part of God’s beautiful garden.

Blog Top Sites
Blog Directory & Search engine
Blog Directory