Be Alert!
by Judy Stull
Living in Florida, USA, is a beautiful visual blessing. The flora and fauna here are amazing all year round. Landscaping takes a lot of time and attention, but my interest in gardening hits me only about once every 7 years. There’s way too much sunshine and rain to only do it every 7 years. Every 7 days is more like it.
When we have the necessary amount of rain, the yards (gardens) are green and luscious looking. However, upon close examination you begin to see some of the growth has a different shape and slightly different color from what is planted. WEEDS! At a quick glance, you don’t even notice them.
These weeds actually have their own beauty. Left alone they will fill out the landscaping, but give an altered appearance to what has been chosen. These proliferate weeds can only be eliminated by pulling them out at the root. If the weed hasn’t had time to spread and fill in around the plant, it’s easy to get it all. But once you do start the weeding process the plants begin to look a bit stressed. They get pulled, pushed, and stepped on, but after more sun and rain they begin to show forth the beauty God intended.
The weeds are so much like the temptations and sins in our lives. If we’re not alert and discerning we might not spot the temptation, because it looks so enticing. We can be tricked into believing the temptation is nothing too bad. It looks pretty good. So it’s only as we stay close to the Lord, asking for His discernment, His vision, His warning, and His conviction, that we can we spot the sin.
We can experience stress as the Lord seeks to remold and remake us. However, with the proper light, love and nurture, we begin to show forth God’s glory in our lives, just as the plants show forth the glory of the Lord.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to be sensitive enough to resist temptation when it seeks to draw me away from You. Help me to run quickly to the foot of Your cross humbling myself so that You might restore me back to Yourself. I pray in Your powerful name, Jesus. Amen.
Judy Stull has been involved with Ellel Ministries since 2006. She is a retired school teacher and has been a minister’s wife for 40 years. Together she and her husband have one son who is married with two children. They are part of the leadership team at Ellel USA.
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