Beware of Weeds

by Dewayne Griffin

Are there weeds in your life? That question may seem odd, but I think it has real application to everyone. I have recently been doing work at a house that has been virtually empty for over two years. On the inside there were signs of mice and other crawly creatures that had found a way in and had set up camp. On the outside the weeds and grass had invaded what was once a beautifully manicured yard. The flowerbeds that had previously presented some of the most fragrant roses were now ugly and full of stick-tights. Along both sides of the driveway, the grass and vines had crept out to the point where they were meeting in the middle. Needless to say, those of us who were attempting to do the clean-up faced a real challenge.

As I was working it suddenly occurred me that sin affects us the same way as the weeds. The state of disrepair at the house did not happen overnight, in fact, we hardly realized how horrible it was until we stopped to take a hard look. Sin creeps into our lives little by little. Satan is delighted if he can make the slightest gain in tearing down our Christian life. This is why it is so important for us to keep up our guard by studying God�s Word, maintaining a fervent prayer life and being steadfast in supporting the church and our brethren.

The final lesson that I realized at the clean-up was how important it is to replace the weeds with something beautiful. If we just remove the weeds, and take no other steps, they will be back. The Christian life is unlike a vacuum, if we remove sin, we must replace it with something meaningful and pleasing to God.

I encourage each of us to look around and see if weeds have crept into our lives while we were not looking. Good luck with your clean-up.

• Seeds of Discord Produce Rotten Fruit -Mar 20, 2005