- He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. Matthew 13:24-25 – We have an enemy wanting to ruin what God is doing within our life and within the church. Often we simply need a reminder of this for we can get comfortable and complacent, not even noticing the sly work of the enemy in our life. Here Jesus is talking about how in the kingdom that He is setting up, where God is King and all His followers submit to God’s authority, that the enemy is going to sneak in and also add his part. Here the enemy’s addition was “weeds” among the wheat. Later we see birds, which we learn from earlier parables were sent my satan to remove good seed, landing and making nests in the tall mustard plant. Another parable shows how a woman came and hid leaven, which was often connected to sin in the Bible, into flour to affect the whole batch. Whether weeds, birds, or leaven, all are illustrations Jesus gave to open our eyes to the reality of satan’s work within the work God is doing. God plants, satan spreads weeds. God grows, satan nests where he shouldn’t. God creates, satan mixes in the wrong ingredients. Let us take note of this warning from the Lord. Embrace the wonderful growth God is seeking to foster within your life, but be aware that where God works so will the enemy seek to work in his weeds. The enemy can’t stop God and will never be completely victorious in all his efforts, but anyway he can disrupt the holy work of the Lord in our life or the church he will. Be aware of this and don’t give the enemy even a crack to place his seeds in. The only growth that we should see in our life is the wheat of the Lord, not the weeds of the enemy. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3335
- …but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. Matthew 13:25-26 – We see from this passage that those who follow Jesus are the good seeds planted and the weeds are from our enemy. So in our growing we can end up finding some weeds there placed by our enemy. We can learn from earlier in the passage how dangerous growing amongst the weeds can be. Make sure then you are aware in your life who is there to help you grow and who isn’t. Sadly there will be people in your story who don’t care about your walk with God. And don’t be naïve either, just because they look like and talk like and carry the title of someone who would help you grow doesn’t mean they will. Take time to carefully think about who you are going to let be your influencers and those you find support from. You desperately need those people in your life, but more than just needing them you need the right ones to get anywhere. What though may have to begin this process is identifying the “weeds,” the ones who truly don’t care about your growth with Jesus, and pruning them out of your story. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 867
- As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. Matthew 13:20-21 – This passage is hitting home today as I think about the events of last night. During our youth gathering I shared the gospel and at least one young lady placed their faith in Jesus. So praises for that for sure! Yet I sit here today knowing how the enemy works. She heard the gospel, received it, placed her faith in Jesus, and that sent signals to our enemy to start working overtime. Let the message of this passage spur you to become the good soil new believers need in their story. This isn’t exactly what Jesus was meaning by good soil, but we can be the support and voice in a new believer’s life to walk with them through the new attacks they’ll be facing. Pray for them. Pray the enemy away from their story. Be available to answer questions. Check in with them and hold them accountable. Set for them an example. Love them when they slip up. Be the soil they need to really, truly grow. Who then in your story is new/young in their faith life with Jesus? How could you step into their story to help them grow? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1963
Daily DEVO 