It was late one evening when I finally sat down to relax a bit. I picked up a magazine that had come in the mail and began to flip through it. Suddenly something caught my attention. It was only two words, yet they spoke volumes to me.
Weed & Reap.
Of course, my first thought was about gardening and how weeds must be almost daily removed during harvest season.
I know from experience, if we allow weeds to remain among the things we are trying to grow, it will kill the very thing we are trying to produce. The weeds will zap all the nutrients from the plants. They cannot grow without the proper nutrients. Therefore, it is vital to keep weeds out of your garden. And it is not a one-time thing – it must be consistent and intentional.
It is the same in our spiritual walk. If we don’t remove weeds and keep them out, they will kill the very things we are trying to produce in our lives, in our hearts. As Christians, what weeds are we allowing to take root in our life? What things are taking the nutrients out of the spiritual harvest we are hoping to reap? And…how do we discern the weeds in our life?
Galatians 5:22-25 says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
This scripture sets the standard. Are you investing your time and energy into this fruit? Are you keeping weeds away from THIS garden? Anything beyond the fruit of the Spirit is very possibly weeds. Don’t allow or water weeds.
Don’t allow them to continue to grow. If left intact, weeds will choke your spiritual life. They will drain the life right out of you – unless you rid yourself of them.
So, what then are the weeds? In Mark 4, Jesus taught about the parable of the sower. One of the things He mentioned that would choke out our seed is worry, or the cares of this world.
Worry or anxiety is defined as; to be drawn in different directions, or to be distracted.
What distracts you? What is drawing you in a direction you know is unfruitful? Could it be worry?
Philippians 4:6-7 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
For others, it can be being too busy. I deal with this one periodically. I have been fighting this one for the past couple weeks while trying to catch up at work after being off for a few weeks. Sometimes busyness is simply a distraction – which is a weed. We must recognize it and refuse to allow it to dominate our life.
The most important thing to remember is this; If left alone, weeds have a great potential for multiplication. And they will multiply quickly. Almost overnight.
Allowing just one weed to grow freely will multiply, thereby producing a crop failure. I once read that weeds left unattended will cut a harvest by 40 – 60 percent. Consider that consequence when allowing weeds in your spiritual garden.
It’s time we begin pulling and removing those destructive weeds. It’s time to remember, these are the harvest destroyers, and we want none of that. When we weed, we reap a good harvest.
