Devotion 7.31.17

Weed control at this time of year is especially timely.  Farmers keeping weeds out of the field and homeowners working to keep weeds out of the lawn and flower beds.  West Texas has some weeds that are particularly interesting.  Fierce survivors in an arid climate that totals about 18 inches per year, their roots grow deep and their seeds seem to be able to find their way into cracks that you couldn't intentionally plant anything in. 

During leadership training, we once talked about "pulling the weeds in organizations."  What are those?  Bad habits that had taken root:  behaviors and practices that were detrimental to the organization.  Sometimes weeds in organizations are traditions that have taken root and become sacred, but they are detrimental none-the-less.  Leaders have to be wise when pulling up these weeds because they can take a toll on the organization as those who have become attached to them become casualties of the "weeding."

In Matthew 13, Christ speaks of a man who planted his crop, and in the night, enemies came and sowed weeds in the same field.  As the plants came up, his field hands discovered what had been done and asked the owner if they should pull the weeds.  No, he said, because to do so would be destructive to the good crop.  Let them all grow and mature and then when we cultivate, we'll separate the two and burn the weeds (paraphrase of 24 - 30).  Clearly all of Christ's parables were parables meant to teach.  What do we learn from this?  Our Pastor spoke to this recently, and his answers were good to hear.

Sometimes the church hears this and takes action to be the one who separates.  This can be disastrous.  Christ says the master instructs the servants to not pull the weeds but rather allow all to come to maturity and when the harvest is brought in, then they will separate the two.  Clearly for us. Christ will be the master of the fields that we have harvested as his church on earth, but it isn't for us to decide exactly who is truly faithful and who is not.  Yet our judgement is flawed, and we can chase away someone who is not a weed.

Our constant prayer is that we faithfully sow the seeds of faith by allowing the Spirit to work through us while at the same time not taking the role of God in judging and "pulling the weeds" ourselves.  When we speak of sin, the scripture needs to be our source, but God will ultimately be the judge, not his church.

Hope Men's Ministry