God's Wisdon re. Weeds in the Field

Jesus told His disciples this parable about weeds in the field:

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 owner's servants came to him and said, "Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?"

"An enemy did this," he replied.

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 grow 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 13:24-30)

Then Jesus told them the interpretation of the parable:

The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and  the harvesters are angels.

As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the  age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.They will throw them into the fiery furnace,where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:39-43)

I'm glad God is in charge of the world and I have only a small garden.
Insightfully yours,
Paulita

Weeds

There is a difference between making my garden look lovely, and serious weeding. Often I merely clean up the ground between plants by pulling out the little weeds or cutting them off with a hoe. The last time I did that my husband came along and said, "You know if you'd flood that area first, you could easily pull the entire weed out, root, nut, and all."

I knew he was right. If I didn't pull out or kill each root, I'd only delay its eventual re-growth. The root could even travel underground and erupt elsewhere in my garden.

So goes my life. I can hide my sins for a while, but if I don't allow my heart to be flooded with God's word, and then confess my sins to God, He cannot cleanse and forgive me. The same sins will crop up again, suddenly emerging where I don't expect them. Just looking good isn't enough.
Insightfully yours,
Paulita

Tomatoes

By the time our tomatoes were a foot tall, the leaves began to shrivel and curl up. The plants looked sick and the tomatoes were tiny. My husband said, "No self-respecting tomato worm will bother with our plants."

One day a friend came over and noticed the tomato plants in our garden. "You're watering them too much,"he said. "You should water them only once a week, even if the weather gets hot. That forces the roots to go deeper and makes a healthier plant."

When God looks at our lives, what does He see? Shriveled, curled up, self-indulgent people, or healthy, vibrant, engaging individuals?

The Lord wants our faith in Him to grow and be healthy. So when it seems like He is not listening to your prayers,or He's withholding His blessings, ask Him to help you focus on others rather than yourself. What does He want you to learn? What opportunities is He giving you to trust Him? Remember, everything God brings or allows to come into our lives is only for the purpose of driving our roots deeper in Him.