STOP WATERING WEEDS

STOP WATERING WEEDS

Today’s devotional is based on a Facebook posting by my daughter, Kimberly Marcelle Bass.  Upon reading it, I was immediately illuminated with the insight that too much of our time and energy is expended interacting with people, things and situations that do not edify us.  Instead of nurturing the ‘flowers’ that have been divinely planted in our lives, our attention is somehow drawn (irrationally) to those persistent and negative ‘weeds’ that seek to choke us and paralyze our progress.

Interestingly enough, there are at least 172 varieties of weeds that constitute an ongoing challenge for American farmers and crops.  There are numerous weed identifiers, i.e. the descriptive characteristics of troublesome weeds.  Farmers rely on such information to maximize their harvests.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had strategic weed identifiers (in life) to alert us to the presence of human weeds and their decidedly negative agendas?  In fact, we do.  Personal prayer, Word study and ears attentively tuned in to the Holy Spirit are awesome and accurate weed identifiers, which are designed to safeguard our lives and our future.  We must use them!

Kingdom Principle Number One: Try to see people and life through the lens of love. (I Corinthians 13:1-7)  This proactive and positive approach yields inner peace and sanity.  Also, it diminishes hypersensitivity, i.e. our tendency to feel degraded or offended by the attitudes and actions of others.

Kingdom Principle Number Two: Avoid fellowship with people who do not honor you or celebrate your successes.  Haters are malicious weeds.  If allowed emotional access, they deplete optimism and drain energy.

Kingdom Principle Number Three: Don’t try to contest or disprove negative opinions.  It is a supreme waste of time and a misappropriation of energy.  Those who are true friends need no explanations; those who are not will likely never be convinced by whatever you say.

Kingdom Principle Number Four: Eat the fish and throw away the bones.  While at times it seems impossible, you can survive and even thrive in work environments that are loaded with outright enemies or frenemies (friendly enemies).  However, feelings of offense or pride could motivate us to disregard or discard their contributions, even those that might benefit us.  Please don’t drink the Kool-Aid of Pride!  Allow yourself to be blessed by your enemies whenever GOD orchestrates and allows it to be so.  Eat the fish and throw away the bones!

Kingdom Principle Number Five: Jesus Christ is our supreme arbiter and final judge.  He instructs His Church to let the “wheat and tares” (false wheat or weeds) “grow together until the harvest.” (Matthew 13:30)  Remember that the foregoing admonition of Christ is primarily intended for the corporate church, not for individual believers. In our personal lives, we must be extremely careful to establish clear and effective boundaries between ourselves and that which could potentially destroy us and our Kingdom assignment.  Decide today to stop watering and cultivating any weeds that creep into your garden.  The Creator has seeded a multiplicity of flowers in and around your life…infinite varieties with indescribable beauty.  My friend, Focus on the Flowers; pay attention to them; nurture and water them; and, be highly favored and bountifully blessed by them.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!