The Sermon on the Weeds

No, Jesus didn't give a sermon on the weeds, but I did this past Sunday. And as I was preaching the Word, I was amazed at the "instant insight" God allowed me to experience. It was as if I was "hearing" the word as I spoke it, and it took on fresh meaning and insight. I was preaching from Mark 4:18-19, about the weeds and the thorns that choke off the life of the word and make it unfruitful. As I listed the "things" we do that choke off the word, (the cares of life, the deceitfulness of riches, desires for other things) the Greek word for riches struck a chord with me. The root of the word Ploutos (rich) means "to be full." As I began to ponder the implications of this, God reminded me that 75% of the people in the world we live NEVER know the feeling of fullness. And yet, we experience it two or three times a day.

Jesus was reminding us that fulness leads to a false sense that "everything is okay" with my life. But the truth is, my hunger for God is often silenced by the fact I am "full" of so much else. That is why times of fasting are so valuable. When we fast, we deny ourselves food and fulness, and experience hunger that can be a reminder of Who we belong to and of our dependence upon Him.

All of this brings me full circle to the idea of weeds. If you don't keep them pulled up they will take over, and deny you the fruit your garden (heart) was designed to produce. As I have learned from my gardening hobby, you cannot let up for even a short period of time, as weeds have an innate way of taking over!