Weeds and Poop Wednesday

Grrr!! I can't believe I forgot to post the second part of this little devotional affectionally titled..

Thank You God for Poop and Weeds

In case you missed it last week, you can go back and read here. About a year or two ago, I was randomly inspired to go clean up my back yard. At the time, it was filled with weeds and our dog's poop. Cleaning it up was quite a chore. But somewhere in between pulling weeds and carrying the loads to the trash can, I felt God whispering to me to write a devotional. So I put down my gardening tools, took off my gloves, and headed up to the computer. I wrote a short devotional, which I then saved and shoved in a drawer. It stayed there... until now.

And so started... Weeds and Poop Wednesday! Except that this Wednesday, I FORGOT! Well, posting something on the wrong day has never stopped me before... So here you go. It's a little late, but here's Part 1. And this week, I promise to post Part 2 on time. ;)

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Mark 4:3-20

"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed... Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.
"Are you listening to this? Really listening?
‘…Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing,
Whose ears are open but don't understand a word, Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven.’”
"He continued, "Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way. The farmer plants the Word… The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it. But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, …and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams."

The Message Bible

Some verses omitted

Part 1
Weeds Choke out Life

Once I found the corner of my yard that I wanted to start working - one that’s shaded and green, and where moisture isn’t immediately obliterated by the dry heat and sun, I discovered something rather discouraging. The grass grows here quite well, but so do the weeds! It was the area of the yard where the grass was actually still alive, however weeds enjoyed that same setting. As I studied the corner I was about to work on, I thought, “I bet the grass here would grow much better if the weeds weren’t choking it out. It would get more of the earth’s moisture too, if the weeds weren’t sucking it dry.” In Mark, Chapter 4, Jesus talked about seed that was strangled by weeds and so nothing came of it. The weeds took up all the space, water and soil’s nutrients, so that the seed had no chance.

God’s truth is the same way. Sometimes we hear His truth and it goes in one ear and out the other, because what’s really occupying the space between our ears is worry. Worry about life. Worry about spouses, finances, children, jobs, friends, age, wrinkles, weight, to-do lists, dirty laundry… The list goes on and on. God’s Word to us says:

The farmer plants the Word…

"The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it. (Mark 4:17-19 The Message)

Worry, fear, doubt, hurt, sin, and broken relationships can cause us to lose the richness of God’s desire for us. That is why setting down and doing the hard work of fleshing out day-to-day life according to God’s will is so important. Because until we’re willing to face the nitty-gritty situations and apply God’s word to them, and be willing to change for Him, we will always be choked by the weeds. We refuse God’s sovereignty in our lives unless we take it to the next step and pursue maturity in understanding His ways for our lives. But once we do set ourselves to this task… oh! What wonderful things can come! The Message Bible puts it this way:

"But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams." (Mark 4:20)

…Let me say it again for you: A harvest beyond your wildest dreams! Are you living a life in Christ that surpasses your greatest expectations? When I first gave my life to the Lord, I had NO CLUE of the wonders He would do in my life. I gave my life to the Lord in third grade, but I was 20 before I really started to pursue what it meant to LIVE for Christ. I’m 30 now, and I look back at the last decade and marvel at how far God has brought me. I can truly say that I live a life now, that is beyond my wildest dreams, and that is only true because of God’s incredible grace and the work of His Spirit in my life!

Are there things in your life that overwhelm you? Do you want to live with joy and excitement? Do you want to live bigger and better, at peace and in intimate relationship with Him? Read the rest of Mark, Chapter 4 here. And come back on Wednesday and hear more!