I spent a couple of hours this weekend pulling weeds and I have a lot more still there. It’s frustrating how fast they grow if I don’t pull them up consistently. Right now, the azaleas I planted last year are just about choked out. I love gardening, especially planting new flowers, so I can relate to the image of God planting the Word in my heart. I like weeding too, but I get tired of it really fast.
My heart is the soil where God has planted His Word. He prepared it carefully to receive the Word and He waters it with His love. But weeds have grown up in it. The weeds stunt my growth and prevent me from producing righteousness. I need to clean up the garden so the Word can grow.
But before I start working on the garden, I need to see the weeds. The Word is also a reflecting ball in the garden (a big one) that I can look into to see what’s growing there.
The weeds I see come from my tongue. They are filthy and evil:
Being slow to listen because I’m too busy thinking about what I want to say.
Speaking without thought of how my words will be taken by others – or if they’re right or true.
Letting people and circumstances upset me and then talking about it.
If I look in the mirror and walk away, without doing anything about the weeds (like my azaleas), I’m not following God’s ways. Reading God’s Word is useless, if I don’t do what it says.
I love the words of the hymn In the Garden, “He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own.” But while we’re together in the garden, Jesus wants us to do some weeding so we can enjoy the garden even more. He’ll lead me to the reflecting ball of His Word so I can see the weeds, then we’ll get to work pulling them out.
Then the Word can grow unhindered and He’ll bless me.
No comments:
Post a Comment