Weeding | Sep. 30th

"Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.

And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."

Mark 4:7,18-19

Growing up in the country many families had a garden, ours was no exception. With each passing season, the garden seemed to increase in size. There would be a greater variety of vegetables and eventually a couple of fruit trees and grapes.

Gardening became part of the chores my sisters and I were required to do. At the top of the list was weeding out the garden. Weeds take away nutrients and space away from the produce. They draw the water intended for the vegetables, block the sun if they get too big, and crowd out what you want to grow. It felt as though the weeds pop out overnight. It required vigilance.

The cares of life, burdens, and desires can crowd out what our minds should be set on. These things draw our attention and passion away from the things of God. Even the burdens of life represented by our responsibilities should be brought before the word of God so that we might see them properly and seek God's mercy and help.

Any desire that takes us away from God and the things of God is a thorn attempting to make the grain unfruitful. Be aware of the things that consistently keep you from reading and praying, causing you to miss church and have your mind thinking about everything else rather than the Lord and what He has for your life.

Ask the Holy Spirit to weed out your heart today.

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Wight

Deeply Rooted | Sep. 27th

"Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away."

" And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away."

Mark 4:5-6, 16-17

One of my summer jobs in my teen years was working for a construction landscape company. The company built stone walls and installed lawns in new home developments. In most cases soon after a home was framed and finished on the outside we would put in the lawn. Surrounding the house would be processed stone or packed hard soil. We would come and cover the ground with a few inches of loam, good soil, then that would be graded and seeded or sod put down. Eventually, you will have a nice green lawn. If the loam were too thin, the grass would burn and die when exposed to the sun.

Beloved, if we are shallow in our knowledge of God and His word then we do not have the spiritual roots deep enough to endure the trials of life. Some immediately receive the word of God with joy but it does not become a part of their everyday life and when life becomes difficult their faith withers away.

Jesus explained that " they had no root in themselves" even though there was immediate joy when the word was first heard. Be not only a hearer of God's word but a doer. May the word of God take root in your heart and mind so that when the storms of life come you can stand. Yield your heart to the Sower today and grow in the grace of God.

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Wight

Seed Snatcher | Sep. 26th

"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them."

Mark 4:3-4,14-15

Beloved, if you could imagine the parable of our Lord. You would envision a field and a sower, walking through freshly plowed ground but there is a path where the sower walks. Row by row the sower scatters the seed. The path is formed because the sower is present yet it cannot receive the seed for the birds of the air quickly devour it.

It is as if the path has become comfortable with the sower without the ability to receive the seed. This is an image not of the sinner outside the church but of the life who constantly hears the word of God without interest. The enemy quickly destroys what is sowed by the preacher because the person has no intention of taking to heart what God's word is saying. No thoughtful prayer, no intention to have it applied to daily living or to have it bear fruit in life.

Let us be diligent in hearing God's word and seek to have it applied to our daily lives. Resists the enemy and he will flee from you. The word of God will take root and bring life to your spirit.

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Wight