Matthew 13:29-30

King James Version (KJV)

But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

Let both grow together until the harvest.

For Meditation

I always wondered why I had to eat and play with the big boys when I was growing up. But lately, I realized something. It presented me with the opportunity to grow and mature. I had to learn to eat faster or I went to bed hungry. I had to learn to scoop more soup with my palm or have too little of it to appreciate its delicacy. I had to be wise to drop my spoon early enough to avoid washing the bowl every time after dinner. I had to learn to be street smart or be bullied by the big boys.
As I ponder over the Parable of the Weeds, I realize it teaches a similar principle. We need people of other persuasions or nature to challenge us to steady growth and maturity in our faith.
Weeds grow very fast and can crowd out the good crop. Therefore, to avoid being overshadowed by the weeds, with the danger of losing more sunlight for photosynthesis, the wheat has to sink its roots deeper into the soil for more nourishment or it dies.
Similarly, to survive in this world, we as believers have to sink our roots deeper into the word of God in order to grow and mature in Righteousness, or the world will swallow us. We need to stand above the world in order to avoid our witness being overshadowed by the arguments of the world.
I believe that beyond the accidental uprooting of the wheat with the tares, the Lord knows that the challenge posed by the world around us is good for our spiritual growth and maturity. Otherwise, He would have taken us into heaven as soon as we came to faith in Him. As we grow together, we are challenged onto separation from the world and Christlikeness, and a sharper witness of Him as Lord and Savior.

1. So, are you challenged by the world to grow in your faith or are you overwhelmed by it?
2. Are you sinking your roots deeper in the word for more spiritual nourishment or have you exposed your Bible to the mercy of dust?
3. Are you standing taller in Christ where you are, or have you been eclipsed by your environment?
4. Are you able to stand against the strong winds of moral degradation and  social depravity of this world?
5. Most important, who are you really? Wheat or weed?

I pray you have the inner conviction of the Holy Spirit that you are a child of God.
May you refuse to be intimidated by the weeds of this world, or be discouraged by those in the church; and may you rather shine brighter in Christ to illumine the world around you for His glory.

We need the challenges of this world to see our need for more of Christ.

Shalom