Spiritual Weeds
Do we care more about the weeds than God does?
In a garden, it is important not to pull the weeds while the tender, young plants are becoming established. While they are maturing. Growing. Becoming strong. We can learn an important lesson from this.
Weeds are valuable. When it’s finally time to pull the weeds, we shake the dirt off the roots and then lay them down next to the plants. The nitrogen feeds the plants. Weeds are valuable.
When it comes to our spiritual lives, we can’t seem to be satisfied as long as our spiritual weeds are still growing alongside the plants. But Jesus is not concerned with the weeds.
In Matthew 13 Jesus tells them not to pull the weeds until the harvest. These weeds are the religious leaders of His day, whose father is the devil. (John 8:44)
I believe the lesson can be applied to our own lives even today. Bear with me as I build a case.
…for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. (Galatians 6:7-8)
‘Sowing to our flesh’ is living in our own self-righteousness (relying on our own obedience and good works instead of relying on Jesus’ obedience and His righteousness gifted to us). The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were the epitome of self-righteousness and Jesus told them their father was the devil. So then the weeds are representing those of us who are relying on self-righteousness.
I am going to point out that on any given day, we may be sons of the devil or sons of God, depending on whether we are walking in the flesh (self-righteousness) or walking in the Spirit (gifted righteousness). Is this a crazy assertion? I think not. Look at the encounter between Jesus and Peter.
Jesus told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!” In that moment, Peter was in the flesh, not in the Spirit. Notice that Jesus’ follow-up statement was, “You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s.”
When we are walking in the flesh (humankind’s mindset) instead of walking in the Spirit (Christ’s mindset which dwells in us), we are of our father, the devil. In those moments. We don’t actually belong to the devil, but we are, in those moments, as though we are sons of the devil, the liar (see John 8). When we act contrary to who we are in Christ, we are believing a lie. In those moments, we are sons of the liar.
Now we can get back to the original point. Relax, beloved ones. Stop striving so hard to do everything right. To be perfect. To get rid of your own weeds. It is literally a matter of focusing on the truth of our righteousness, gifted to us by Jesus and we are walking in the Spirit once again.
Jesus is faithful to burn those self-righteous weeds - at the end of the age. We have nothing to worry about, because…
…just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:40-43)
See how the stumbling blocks will be burned in the fire? Jesus called Peter a stumbling block! Our self-righteous selves will be burned with the fire of God’s love and then our true-righteous selves will shine like the sun!
God’s love is a consuming fire and burns up all our dead works (self-righteousness) so that all that remains is His righteousness!
Do you find yourself constantly worrying about the spiritual weeds in your life? Could you rest in Jesus, knowing that He’s faithful to guide you as you rely on His obedience and His righteousness?
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