I was recently thinking about the parable that Jesus told about the wheat and the tares. My brief study of this story did not uncover a definitive definition of a tare, but the context clearly indicates that the tare did not belong in the wheat field. To summarize the story, a farmer learned an enemy had planted tares throughout his wheat field. His servants offered to eradicate their existence, but the farmer told them he did not want to lose a portion of his harvest by pulling up grains of wheat while digging out the tares. Instead, the farmer instructed to allow both to grown together, and at harvest time, they would simultaneously store the wheat crop in his barn while gathering the collection of tares and setting them on fire.

Moral

The moral behind this story is that God refuses to take away the sinner from among those who are serving Him. God is certainly more knowledgeable than me, and He understands how such an extermination could negatively impact those that are growing in their own relationship with Him. So God, in His infinite wisdom, allows us to remain on earth together.

Implications

As I further considered some of the implications of this parable, my mind went to an experience that my family and I incurred in the spring of this year. The basement of our home became flooded with a thin layer of water–water that expert later identified as sewer water. It was a mess! As we began the process of hiring companies to clean up the mess and fix the issue, the company informed us that tree roots had invaded our sewer lines, creating a blockage resulting in the backup of sewer water into our basement. During this time, one of the company professionals stated that as disgusting as it sounds, when tree roots successfully infiltrate your lines, it becomes difficult to “evict them from their new home” because sewer water provides great food for tree roots (Am I ever glad that those trees are not fruit trees!).

But if that is the case with tree roots, it also must be the same for our spiritual lives. In my effort to mirror the characteristics of Christ in my life, I often find natural tendencies to revert to old lifestyle practices. Rather than resembling the honesty of Christ, I sometimes model the deceit of my old lifestyle. Instead of reproducing the kindness of the Master, I am inclined to demonstrate the hatefulness of my flesh. In lieu of gravitating toward the patience of Jesus, I often sport the frustrations of my struggles to show grace. Why do I exhibit such ungodly character when I have been transformed by the power of God’s Spirit.

The Struggle

Part of my struggle is the fact that I am battling my own sinful nature inherited from Adam. Every time I seek to make right decisions, my flesh unmasks its unwillingness to submit to the Spirit’s will. Paul, as great as he was, confessed a similar struggle: “18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good” (The New King James Version [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982], Ro 7:18–21).

My Contribution

But Paul also recognized that it is possible for us to contribute to the problem: “5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace…13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (The New King James Version [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982], Ro 8:5-6, 13). In other words, if we spend our time filling our lives with activities, media, and other influences that build characteristics representative of our old lifestyle, our efforts to produce the clear evidence of God’s Spirit will be futile. Paul went so far as to say, “…those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (The New King James Version [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982], Ro 8:8).

Solution

So instead of wasting hard-earned energy by battling spiritual forces with a malnourished spiritual walk, my urging today is, “Don’t feed the weeds.” Examine your daily calendar, your regular habits, and your frequent activities and determine, “Am I taking the actions that will produce wheat, or am I falling prey to my natural tendency to ‘feed the weeds?'”