How Does Your Garden Grow?

“When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.” Matthew 13:25 (NLT)

This story of Jesus is often referred to as the parable of the “wheat and the tares.” Jesus explains that the field is the world and that the “weeds” are the people who belong to the evil one. The good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. (v.38) Both are allowed to grow until the harvest. At that time there will be a great separating out with the weeds going to destruction and the righteous shining “like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom.”

The question then is, “what kind of seed are you?” Good seed? Weed seed? Be careful in how you determine your answer. Just because God hasn’t “weeded you out”, doesn’t make you a “good seed”. Just because you are blessed with “rain” and “sun”, doesn’t make you a “good seed”, as God causes those things to happen for both the good and the evil. The answer to whether we are “good seed” or “weed seed” is not one that we choose; it is simply evident by the fruit (or the absence of fruit) in our life.

James urges us, “so get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.” (James 1:21) Jesus came to sow good seed into your life, if you will receive it, it will grow and produce the fruit of goodness that God will harvest into His Kingdom.

ONETHING: Do some fruit inspection to ensure that my heart has received good seed.

The Habit of Virtue requires that we constantly check for fruit in our life. The Devil is constantly throwing “weed seed” out and it is possible for it to take root in our life. Although, once we have truly allowed our heart to be planted with “good seed”, we need not fear the harvest, but we will desire to avoid the embarrassment of a less than bumper crop. We should not, as the saying goes, “sow our wild oats and then pray for a crop failure.” Our aim is to be “good soil that receives the good seed which produces a great harvest.”

PlusONE: Do some “seed inspection” before we even allow it to be sowed.