Wednesday, June 23, 2021

What Weeds Need Pulling in Your Life"

 

Dear Fellow Children of God,

 

On Saturday, June 19, I spent about 2 hours on my knees pulling weeds from my vegetable garden, and also a half an hour or so working on the flower planters around the house and the flower garden in the front yard.  Weeding may sound like a chore.  When I was a child I hated when my dad would send me out to “weed the garden.”  But, somehow, at this point of my life I actually enjoy trying to bring some order through our flower beds and vegetable gardens into this sinful and chaotic world. 

 

Last Saturday’s weeding task was surprisingly easy, perhaps because I had been keeping up on the job.  First, I put on some knee pads.  Then I went down each row of vegetables and pulled the weeds from around the new plants which are growing.  After time on my knees, I stood up and used a hoe to get the weeds in the pathways between the rows of vegetables.  I pulled and I hoed chickweed, dandelions, grass, and clover.  I pulled chickweed, and volunteer raspberries, and some weeds with larger leaves.  And, I pulled chickweed.  (You get the idea.)  But, for a week at least my garden is in good shape and growing well.  In fact, our family ate red leaf lettuce from our garden for our Sunday evening Father’s Day celebration.

 

However, as I was on my knees pulling all these weeds I wondered “Which weeds need to be pulled in my life?”  The Bible shares a number of “lists” of sins.  The “10 Commandments” found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 list 10 sins which God forbids.  Jesus summarizes these commandments in Mark 12, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. . . Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31) We are to love God and to love others.  If we follow God’s law we are healthier, and are more the people God created us to be.  But, any behavior which transgresses these commands damages our relationship with our heavenly Father, and our relationships with other people.  So, which behaviors in my life damage these relationships and need to be pulled out like a weed?

 

In Galatians 5 we find another list; God warns about the fruit of the flesh.  Fruit is an “agricultural” term, so consider this instruction from our Lord.  “19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  (Galatians 5:19-21)  How about it, do I need to weed out lust (sexual immorality, orgies), or false priorities (idolatry), or a competitive spirit (jealousy, ambition, envy), anger, substance abuse (drunkenness)?  Which of these behaviors are hurting my relationship with my Lord, and my relationships with others?  Jesus teaches us to “. . . seek first his kingdom and his righteousness . . .” (Matthew 6:33 a)  But my heart is often turned so that I seek other desires and wants.  How can I pull these weeds?

 

Unfortunately, just like a garden and the weeds which constantly grow there, we can never get rid of our sinful desires and actions on our own.  Nevertheless, God does give us a new heart.  God’s undeserved love in Jesus changes hearts, changes our own personal heart.  What we deserve is God’s eternal punishment for our rebellion, our idolatry, our disobedience and our selfishness.  But, as our children in Vacation Bible School learned about God’s amazing love for us this week, “. . . God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)  Jesus loved us and died for us when we did not deserve love, but did deserve punishment. Jesus’ death wins forgiveness for our sins when in repentance and faith we turn to Him.  Because God’s love for us in Jesus is undeserved, when we realize how He love us, this moves us to love our Lord back.  In love for God we seek to serve Him.  In love for our Lord and Savior we seek, not totally successfully in this life, to pull the weeds of our sin.

 

As I grow older it seems more easy to see the sin and chaos in the world around me.  It does my heart good to create a few spaces, like my gardens, that seem to have some order.  Thankfully, God’s love gives me a similar desire to turn from my sinful desires and sinful actions, and to serve the one who loved me and saved me.

 

Which weeds need to be pulled in your life?  Has the undeserved love of God caused you such amazement that you are seeking to serve the Lord by turning from the desires of the flesh, and turning to the mercy and love of our Savior?

 

A Child of God, Thankful that God Helps to Pull the Weeds From My Life,

Pastor Jonathan

 

P.S.  Vacation Bible School

 

  • The St. John team which has led VBS in the Yupik village of Eek the past 3 years is asking a favor of St. John members after late worship.  “We ask the congregation at both services to help us decorate bags to put the crafts in for each of the kids in Eek. We’re asking the congregation to write a favorite Bible verse on a bag and then, if you’re willing, to go to the back table and decorate the bag that we can fill with crafts.

 

P.P.S.  Thanks to those who helped our member find housing!  J

 

P.P.P.S.  Here are some pictures from my garden after Saturday afternoon’s time pulling weeds.  https://photos.app.goo.gl/Uy1BnfKA3eZh9Ynp7

 

P.P.P.P.S – Here are some pictures from a “few” fishing trips this past week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*****

 

ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired at the end of August 2019 from serving as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK.  I was writing a weekly devotion previously entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor."  When I retired many asked me to continue writing these devotions.  So I have continued writing.  However, with life's changes I now call this weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child of God." 

Since I am no longer senior pastor at St. John, I felt it right to only send this message to those who asked to receive it.  (Though I am now serving again part-time at St. John as assistant to the pastor.)  Perhaps you also know that I “killed” my computer on November 7, 2020.  In so doing I lost, for a time at least, all my e-mail contacts.  So, I was really goofed up.  Many who were receiving this devotion each week were no longer receiving it.  I tried to rebuild my distribution list, but I am not sure how accurate I have been. 

            So, if you stopped receiving these devotions and wondered why, now you understand.  And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish to receive them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my distribution list.  My e-mail address is jonrock53@mtaonline.net.

            My prayer is that these devotions help each of you in your daily walk with our Lord, Jesus.

 

 

                                                                        *******

 

Jonathan Rockey

Child of God

Husband, Father, Son, Grandfather

Pastor Emeritus, St. John Lutheran Church

E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net

cell phone - 907-841-4066

Home phone - 907-746-5131

 

 

 

 

 

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