Daily Devotional for November 22, 2020
No Weeds Allowed!
“Look over there, Bridger—under those tall weeds!” Lizzy said as she and her brother explored the area behind the barn at their new home in the country.
“Are those tomatoes?”
“Looks like tomato plants to me,” said Bridger. “Let’s pull up the weeds around them so we can see the plants better.”
“Good idea,” Lizzy said. They began pulling weeds that had grown more than waist-high. To their surprise and delight, they found other vegetables as well as the tomatoes they had first seen.
“Wow!” said Lizzy. “Let’s show Mom and Dad.” So the kids ran to the house and persuaded their parents to come see what they had discovered.
“How about that!” exclaimed Mom when she saw the hidden plants. “Somebody must have planted a garden here earlier this year, but it obviously hasn’t been cared for in a long time. I’m surprised the plants were able to survive in the middle of all these weeds. I had no idea they were there.”
“How would you kids like to be in charge of this garden?” Dad asked. “It will take a lot of work. You’ll need to water the vegetables—and the weeds will come back if you let them.”
“We won’t let them!” Bridger declared, and Lizzy nodded eagerly. “We’ll hoe and pull weeds and water our garden. You’ll see!”
Dad looked pleased. “Good!” he said. “You got the job.”
That evening during family devotions, Dad grinned at the kids. “You know something? Our hearts are a little like gardens. I came across a verse I think you’ll like. It’s Isaiah 58:11—’You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.’ It points to our need for Jesus. Without Him, it’s as though our hearts are full of weeds of sin. When we trust Jesus to save us, He forgives our sins and gives us the Holy Spirit, who works to make us more like Him. As we follow His leading in our lives, He keeps the weeds of sin from taking over again in the gardens of our hearts.”
“Then we’ll be like the watered garden mentioned in that verse you read,” Bridger observed. “I want to be like that—not like the weedy garden we found.”
“Me too,” Lizzy agreed. “No weeds allowed!” • Charlie VanderMeer
How about you?
What’s in the garden of your heart? Are there weeds of sin—things like lies, cheating, disobedience, or selfishness? Don’t allow those things to grow and cover up the good fruit the Holy Spirit is producing in your life. Confess any sin to Jesus and ask for His forgiveness. Then follow the Holy Spirit’s leading as He urges you to turn from sin and do what’s right. He will work to make your life a beautiful, well-watered garden.
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