What's Your Yield -- Fruit or Weeds?
Hard to believe but spring is just around the corner. Here in California where I live, the weather has been sunny and beautiful. Cold but nice. While enjoying the nice sunny weather, I also realize winter is still with us and it will bring more cloudy, rainy days before spring. I am noticing weeds popping up everywhere!
I think about my life as a Christian and the seasons we go through. What are the weeds growing in our life? When we plant seeds for beautiful flowers or vegetables in our garden, we are careful to watch over them with the right amount of water, and most definitely pull all the weeds that try to overtake the tiny plants.
This is how we should watch over our Christian life also. We get saved and are planted in the Family of God, but to grow into that mature useful Christian, we must watch over what is planted in our hearts. This is our choice! When we get into the Word of God, seeds will be planted in our heart. As we continue to read and apply what we learn, we are adding nourishment to our lives. The Word waters that seed in us so it will grow. Salvation is a free gift from our Lord. We must always realize He paid for our sins on the cross with His blood! After salvation we have to do something if we are going to produce fruit.
Matthew 13:22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
This Word tells me very clearly that cares of this world and the trickery of riches are like weeds and thorns that will cause us to become unfruitful. Meaning we were fruitful at one time, but we BECOME unfruitful. This does not happen overnight as weeds in our garden do not kill overnight, but if not pulled out of the garden, no flower or vegetable will appear!
The Lord knows what we need. 1 Peter 5:7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
He knows we need provision and health. A “care” means a distraction, and the world is full of them. Pleasure seeking is also huge and that sure has to be dealt with! Let’s keep the thorns and weeds out of our lives.
We want to be fruit bearers advancing the Kingdom of God. Matthew 13:23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
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This article is titled Food for Thought so why don’t we give some thought to our walk with the Lord as we close this year out. What have we learned from this year? What things do we want to change and not take into the coming year?