Pull your Weeds!

My son and I spent the morning working in the yard together.  Without a doubt, the bulk of our year-round yard maintenance requirements have to do with weeds:  Pulling them, spraying them, yelling at them and preventing them.  The beautification of the yard happens periodically; the weed maintenance is on-going (can you guess where I'm going with this?). We came to one area where the weeds had a semi-pretty appearance; even some with flowers on the ends.  Asking if we should pull them even if they look nice, I reminded my son of the very obvious spiritual analogy (which I'm sure he was really excited to hear!).

Because of Adam's sin in the garden, all mankind is cursed with having to work the ground (Genesis 3:17-19). We plant, we harvest, we enjoy the beauty and bounty of God's creation, but all the while we have to pull weeds, fertilize, spay for insects and prevent erosion.

It's the same with sin.  Although, as a believer, I'm a new creation in Christ, I'm still daily subject to sin's influence.  I must confess it, steer clear of it, resist temptation to it and grow in mastery of it with the power of the Holy Spirit living in me.  And even when the sin seems not just OK but actually kind of delightful (like a weed with a flower), I need to pull it out quickly to make sure the root doesn't take hold and grow deep into the soil of my life.

One other thing to consider:  Weeds always come up more easily after the rain.  The same is true with sin.  When my soul is daily watered with the life-giving sustenance provided in God's Word,  I'm much more likely to see the sin in my life and take care of it quickly and easily without a lot of ramifications.  But when I linger in sin - failing to apologize to my spouse, being consistently impatient with my kids, letting selfishness become a habit - I'll find it much more difficult to get the sin by the root and get rid of it.

Yes, weeds are like sin...they're everywhere!  Why not get out into the yard and start pulling them today?