Weeding

“And the seed fell in the weeds – well, these are the ones who hear; but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun.” Luke 8:1-15 (MSG)

Being connected to a church from birth and being brought up with Christian belief, I fall into the complacency of sometimes going to church, listening to sermons and attending the events of church life without even thinking about the reason why (something I have always done.) I continually expect to be fed by Christ’s teaching. How easy is it for us fall away from the Word, and get distracted in life by things that don’t bear fruit? I also want to quickly catch up with friends that we haven’t seen for a week or even a couple of weeks at church because I have not been bothered to catch up with them throughout the week.  Then I start thinking of the groceries that I need to purchase on the way home so I don’t have to make another trip to the store.

Our desire to look for happiness and pleasure in this world ultimately takes the focus off what we even attended church for and soon we are feeding the weeds that are choking us.

I need to focus on the Farmer, who has sown the seed in me, and let him spray the weeds out that distract me from focusing on what God’s purpose is for me.  A purpose of ringing friends during the week, making myself available to help families in need and sharing Jesus’ love in the volunteer work that I do.  So, what is filling your lives with distractions? Is it the new home, sports or media/TV influences?   What kind of crop (fruit or weeds) are you going to produce this year?

Lord help me to weed out the things that hinder me from producing fruit for you. Amen

Stephen & Liz Zanker