“Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity.
Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time.”
Hebrews 12:14-15 MSG
Those pesky weeds! Thistles. Crabgrass. Creeping Charlie. Dandelions. If you don’t keep pulling them out, when they appear, your yard will soon become a weed fest! And that’s a lot of work! You must be intentional about spotting them. Ignoring the culprits will only increase their intensity.
Then, you must exert your time and energy to pull/dig them out, making sure to get the roots! And it’s wise to accomplish this before they go to seed, otherwise they will start their vicious cycle of happily re-infesting your lawn.
It’s an ongoing battle. Every year they spring up again and every year I work at keeping the weeds at bay so the grass, flowers and gardens will have a chance to flourish.
That’s it! That’s what the writer of Hebrews is reminding us about! Our relational gardens! It’s work to get along with each other…and with God! It needs to be intentional.
Seeking after Him. Reading and responding to His Word. Talking to Him. Allowing Him to point out your weeds, as He tenderly plucks them out, so you can draw nearer to Him. He wants you to thrive…with Him and with others. He wants you to get a glimpse of who He is…the good, merciful, one-true God who loves you enough not to leave you infested with thistles.
If you balk at God’s pulling and pruning, weeds of bitter discontent will overtake you and your gardens of relationships. Oh, you don’t mean for that to happen, but since you weren’t intentional at letting God clean you up BEFORE the seeds of weeds started blowing over your life…discontentment and bitterness have begun to flourish. It’s our nature. Just like the weeds.
Remember, it doesn’t take much to ruin a garden or a lawn. Just a thistle or two gone to seed. That’s why we need to keep a sharp eye out for weeds.
I desire to have my lawn and gardens beautifully manicured. However, it will never happen if I don’t work at it!
Lord, any weed you see in me…pull it out before it turns to seed and spreads discontent throughout my relationships.
