Weed Wisdom

This Spring I planted many annuals and moved some perennials around and made flower beds around the house. The flowers are really gorgeous right now. After I planted them and in some of the beds while they lay unplanted waiting for me I was faced with the problem of weeds. In the unplanted beds the weeds came up in just a few days. In seemed like in those beds the weeds were little grassy tender weeds more than the big ole hairy picky ones. But in the areas where I had already planted the weeds came up amongst, around and with the plants I had deliberately put in. Some weeds were picky and course with tough leaves and some were even baby trees that had volunteered to grow there either via a squirel visit or by wind or bird or whatever different ways trees and plants are naturally spread. While I was weeding for the first couple times early in the season I got thinking about all the different ways these weeds were in the plants and how much they are like undesireable parts of our lives. Then yesterday I was weeding again and this time there was a little difference in the weeds and the plants. My plants were more mature, they were stronger, they were established. Still there were weeds and still there was a similairty in the weeds of the garden and the weeds of life. But there was a difference in how the weeds were growing now in an established garden to how they grew when the garden was just sprouting up. There is a difference also in how an unbeliever, a new believer and a mature believer (in Jesus Christ as God and Lord and Savior) is troubled by sin. PP In the Spring the area where no plants were established it was easy for the little weeds to start to grow. After all there was no competition from established plantings. So those little weeds vigorously spread out all over the fresh dirt Dave had put out for me to plant into. But the longer I waited to plant the more weeds came and the more weeds grew. I think this is what must go on in areas where people have not had any seed of The Gospel planted. No one has told them of The Lord Jesus Christ. There is no godly influence among them so why would they not grow sinful life. When I finally got to that area and planted after removing the weeds it seemed like even though there were weeds that came up they had to grow around the established plants. PPThe more I weeded the less apt the weeds would grow among and around the plants I wanted in all the garden areas. After a few weeks of neglect from summer activity and vacation the weeds had returned but having not been gotten out earlier they had had time to get stronger and were in some areas more difficult to pull. That seems to be the way of believers who get a good start but then become complacent and lazy in their spiritual life. It seems like things are going well but all the while Satan is planting weeds among the people. Things that are not scriptural can slip in when we neglect our Bible study. Bad feelings and selfishness and egotisim can begin to grow when prayer and Bible study are neglected and fellowship among believers is sparse. It is easy for weeds to grown when they are not removed regularly. But persistent weeding keeps the flower bed beautiful. The Bible says resist the devil and he will flee from you. PP I also noticed that there were different kinds of weeds and that there were things that were not typically thought to be weeds that were growing where I didn't want it. I found a healthy volunteer tomato growing where I wanted to plant coleus. A tomato plant might be nice (although it wouldn't grow well in that shaded area) but it defintely would crowd out my coleus and allysium. Sometimes a weed even seems to be pretty i.e. Queen Anne's Lace. I think it is lovely growing wild by the side of the road. But I have seen it in a garden choking out strong plants like roses, canas and peonies. This is like things in our life that seem to be good but are not the plan of God. It is also similar to all the different ways that man wants to believe that are not according to The Word of God but seems to be convenient or more pleasurable. The Bible says, " there is a way that seems right to man but the end of that is the way of death." It also says (Jesus speaking,) " I am The Way, The Truth and The Life no man comes to The Father but by me." Many religions and philosophies are seemingly good but they do not offer the truth and they do not offer salvation through the shed blood of The Lord Jesus Christ. Many so Christian religions seem good and seem to follow "some" of the Bible but they refuse to acknowlege the sinfulness of man or the complete authority of God or the diety of Jesus Christ. They like the pretty volunteers of so called good plants need to be weeded out. Believers can only weed those out with the tools of truth which are The Word of God and the presence of The Holy Spirit. PP It is amazing how often the weeds will get so close to a good plant and become difficult to remove without uprooting the good plant. Is that like the little favorite kinds of "little sins" we allow in our private lives that are close inside of us and we don't want to let go? Yet allowed to go unchecked these secret sins can choke out the beauty of our Christian testimony and dwarf our growth. PP Some weeds I noticed in some very tall plants that I have grow almost unoticed because they look similar to the desired plants. I thought maybe there were no weeds in those tall pretty stems but the closer I got the more imposters I found. They were very strong and I had to keep looking to find them all because they were so much like the other plants in color. They remind me of the warning in Jude verse 4 that said, "... there were certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. " There have been many groups that have crept into the Christian "arena" that have offered their views and their ways and cleverly begun to teach lies. It is so subtle; it is so quiet and unwatching believers are so unaware. PP Weed Prevention: I really don't like to keep checking all over for those nasty weeds but it seems like they are going to always be coming back. Of course there are chemicals out there to hold them down but then they can be somewhat dangerous to use for people, pets and good plants. Recently I received a tip in an e-mail about how to keep weeds away. It suggested using newspapers around the plants claiming that the weeds would not grow through the newspapers. It has been said that the printed word was more powerful than the sword. Hmmm. I got to thinking about that and thought it interesting that the printed word was still being useful after it had been read. God's Word is like that: once it is implanted and wrapped around us it will be our protection to keep away the enemy. God's Word is alive and powerful and like a two edged sword. God promises that His Word will not return void/empty. I would suggest to plant your life wrapped in God's Word to keep away the chocking threats of Satan. PPThere surely are more lessons to learn from the weeds and from the plants, the trees, the birds and all of God's creation. It is comforting, reassuring and strengthening that while I was on my knees in the garden that His Spirit brought these thoughts to my mind. Perhaps you are not a believer in The Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and you wonder how I know that they were of God. When I have thoughts like this I know it is from God when they are consistent with God's Word. God does not contradict His Word. I thank Him for speaking in my heart and for teaching me with His creation. He is the Master Gardener and I am glad to be one of His garden plots.