“Repentance and daily conversion to Christ is the only way forward!”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – August 15, 2024
“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” Matthew 13:27-30, NIV
The human heart is able to hold within it many emotions and realities that live in tension with one another. Joy and sorrow. Hope and regret. Humility and pride. Selfless love and love of self. In my younger years, I struggled to accept that this was, in fact, possible. It seemed to me that if my heart was filled with something dark or distorted, there was no way that I could also be capable of genuine love or sincere motivation. Yet the longer I live, the less I believe this to be true.
Even as I write these words, I find these dual realities to be present within me. I am filled with a sincere love for my wife and children and a willingness to sacrifice personal comfort for the good of my family. At the same time, there exists within me a fiercely independent streak that is quite content with being alone and would much prefer to do only the things that I, in and of myself, want to do! On and on we could go, offering example after example of this truth. Simply put, to borrow the language of Matthew 13, within each of us, both weeds and wheat exist.
What, then, are we to do?
The wisdom of Matthew 13 invites us to allow this tension to persist, lest we accidentally misdiagnose sickness for health or health for sickness. This doesn’t mean we are to be passively content with the unhealthy parts of our lives. No, when it is possible to make an accurate diagnosis, repentance and daily conversion to Christ is the only way forward! However, the wisdom in today’s passage invites us to remember that, at times, it is difficult to fully discern the motives of the heart. Or, if we uproot every seed in our lives in the name of “purity” or “radical discipleship,” we may get rid of the weeds, but in our haste, we may also uproot precious seeds of faithfulness and truth that have been planted and are in need of nurture and care. Let us, therefore, exercise careful discernment and patient care, trusting that the Lord, in his perfect timing, will protect and preserve the wheat while dealing with the weeds.
Prayer
Father, though our hearts are often pulled in different directions and filled with darkness and light, let us rest today in the truth that you are protecting the good seed of faith that you have planted deep within us, and will lead us into the abundant harvest of your kingdom, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
Prayerfully reflect upon the words of Matthew 13 today, asking the Lord for wisdom and clarity to discern the difference between weeds and wheat, and for the gift of patience as we await the day of harvest.
Related Reading
Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Corinthians 6:14-17; James 3:18
Worship Resource
The Porter’s Gate feat. Paul Zach & Jessica Fox: Psalm 126
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