“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:9-10, NKJV.
Every summer when I return to my home on the shore of Delaware, the pathway leading from the house to the beach is once again blocked by the weeds that have sprung up over the winter months. Of course, stabilizing the sand against storms is important and necessary, but out of control growth inhibits passage to the water’s edge.
After a walk on the beach and as I meandered over the stickers and thorns that had grown out of the weeds and bramble on the path, I began pulling up the stray grasses. With one yank, a root system several feet in length released and came up out of the sand easily, while other weeds were fully taking hold. As I continued in my effort to clear the path, the illustration and spiritual application also began to take hold of my thoughts…
Sherry, these weeds are like the sin that “so easily ensnares us…” Once the seed of sin is planted, it takes hold. The roots are hard to get rid of, even when we recognize the “fruit” of sin…anger, jealousy, bitterness, impatience, pride, lawlessness, deception, self-centeredness, laziness…and the list has no end!
Then, I began to wonder…
If I plant good seeds like the ones necessary on the sand dunes that protect the shoreline from washing away during storms, how powerful this would be.
According to Galatians 5:22-23, the fruit of the Spirit is “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” Our world could certainly use more of these planted seeds! You and I have control over which “seeds” we plant. Today, what is the fruit of your planting?
Happy sowing!