Do not pull the weeds!

Bible verse and the Spirit of Prophecy insight

Matthew 13:29-30

29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

Finite man is likely to misjudge character, but God does not leave the work of judgment to those who are not fitted for it. We are not to say who constitutes the wheat and who the tares. The time of harvest will determine the character of the two classes specified under the figure of the wheat and the tares. The work of separation is given to the angels of God, and not committed to any man.

Ellen G. White – Experiences in Australia p.92.3

Present day application

Based on the above texts, it is pretty clear that the work of separating the wheat from the tares has not been given to us. Let us be honest though, how many times have you wondered: “what is this person doing in our church? They are just a nuisance, they are not really converted”. I must admit I am guilty of such thoughts, too. The ironic part is… some church members were probably having the same thoughts regarding me! 😀

Recently, I have been learning to recognize which plants in my garden are weeds and which ones are useful/edible. Bear in mind, I have recently relocated to South East Asia from Europe and thus I am not familiar with the local flora. I often ask the locals for advice regarding the plants I am about to pull out. I really would not like to pull some type of precious plant and thus destroy the work of the sower.

Corn

A weed that, when still small, looks like the corn

This is why the harvest belongs to God’s angels. Having been given access to the Book of Life, they will go forth to harvest the Earth. The Lord is the ultimate gardener: He knows the seed; He knows the plant; He knows the fruit. Even before we were born, He knew us. There will be no mistakes in that great harvest. Therefore, let us remember to trust his judgements.

So, have you done any weeding recently? 😉

God’s second book

Bible verse and the Spirit of Prophecy insight

Job 12:7-8

7 "But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; 8 Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. 

The more the mind dwells upon these themes, the more it will be seen that the same principles run through natural and spiritual things. There is harmony between nature and Christianity; for both have the same Author. The book of nature and the book of revelation indicate the working of the same divine mind. There are lessons to be learned in nature; and there are lessons, deep, earnest, and all-important lessons, to be learned from the book of God.

Ellen G. White – The Review and Herald, August 19, 1884, par. 14

Present day application

The natural world, as we experience it today, is not what it originally used to be. Genesis 3:18 tells us that the ground has been cursed because of Adam’s disobedience. Thorns and thistles started to appear on some plants, and the ground would not produce its yield as easily as before. The fruits of some plants became poisonous to humans. Animals have also been affected in a way that some of them became carnivorous.

Despite the curse, there is still so much beauty in His creation. We can learn so much from it. As for myself, I have noticed that while I do gardening; I am more inclined to think about spiritual things. After all, the garden was the original environment of humans. This is where Adam and Eve were placed to live and learn about their loving Creator.

If you have never tried gardening, please do. It will be so beneficial for your body and your soul. If you are not young anymore, you might initially suffer from some back pains, but this should go away after some time as long as you remember to keep the right posture. As one would expect, the greatest joy comes in the time of harvest, but before you get there, the Lord will teach you patience and perseverance 🙂

Taste and see that the Lord is good!

PS: You never know what you will discover while gardening… especially here in the Philippines. My wife has found this awesome looking creature in our garden. What a gentle giant! Watch the video if you want to see what happened later.