One Man's Weeds

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

~Matthew 5:44-45

I like growing a garden. Having flowers around makes me feel better, and I like digging in the earth but one of the problems with gardening is you have to weed. Flowers and weeds grow together but I don’t think all weeds are equal. Some choke out what you are trying to grow, so they have to be yanked out regularly. But some weeds aren’t really weeds at all, like dandelions. My next-door neighbor has a little tool that goes into her lawn and plucks the dandelions right out, I let mine grow. Not only do they produce a pretty yellow flower, even if it doesn’t smell good, they also produce some very healthful and beneficial leaves and roots. And, if you’re so inclined, they make good wine. I like dandelion greens in my salads, they are chock full of vitamin A and iron. The root can be dried and used as a coffee replacement. One man’s weed is another man’s flower. I think it’s why we are to love our enemies and pray for those who  persecute us—we never know who’s a weed and who might be a dandelion.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34).”

In the Old Testament, the belief was “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth (Exodus 21:24).” If someone harmed you, you had the right to exact vengeance. Even though some still believe that today, Jesus said we aren’t to seek revenge but to love everyone the way He loves us. That is, we must remember that we were just as unlovable as anyone who has harmed us, and instead of exacting revenge, we are to pray for them. That being said, it doesn’t mean we have to be friends with people who have harmed us, but we do have to remember that prior to accepting Christ as our Savior, we, too, harmed others in some way. If each of us received what we deserved for the sins we’ve committed, we’d all be in hell. Thank God for sending Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our sins. There are enough weeds out there, but it isn’t up to us to decide which ones get plucked out and which ones are just dandelions.

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, 

then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father,  inherit the kingdom  
prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me food, I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked, and you clothed Me, I was sick, and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me’ (Matthew 25:31-40).”

Read Psalm 69-72

Weekend Reading Psalm 73-88

© 2018 Marie McGaha