Pull the Weeds of Worry 除去忧虑

[Dexu Xia]

 [They hear] the word, but the worries of this life . . . choke the word. Matthew 13:22

After burying a few seeds in a planter in my backyard, I waited to see the results. Reading that the seeds would sprout within ten to fourteen days, I checked often as I watered the soil. Soon I saw a few green leaves pushing their way out of the soil. But my bubble burst quickly when my husband told me those were weeds. He encouraged me to pull them quickly so that they wouldn’t choke the plants I was trying to grow.

Jesus also told of the importance of dealing with intruders that can impede our spiritual growth. He explained a portion of His parable this way: when a sower cast his seeds, some “fell among thorns . . . and choked the plants” (Matthew 13:7). Thorns, or weeds, will do just that to plants—stop their growth (v. 22). And worry will surely stunt our spiritual growth. Reading Scripture and praying are great ways to grow our faith, but I’ve found I need to watch out for the thorns of worry. They’ll “choke” the good word that has been planted in me, making me focus on what could go wrong. 

The fruit of the Spirit, found in Scripture, includes such things as love, joy, peace (Galatians 5:22). But in order for us to bear that fruit, in God’s strength we need to pull any weeds of doubt or worry that may distract us and cause us to focus on anything other than Him. By:  Katara Patton 

How is God helping you grow the seeds He’s planted within you? How can you pull the weeds of worry?

Dear heavenly Father, please remind me to pull weeds often, discarding worry and deceitful thoughts so I may grow and bear fruit in You.

 人听了道，有今世的忧虑……把道挤住，结不出果实来。—马太福音13章22节，新译本

我在后院的花盆里埋下几颗种子后，就等着它们发芽。有人说，种子会在十到十四天内发芽。于是，我常常一边浇水，一边查看发芽了没。不久，我看见几片绿色嫩叶破土而出，高兴极了。但这兴奋之情很快便幻灭了，因为我丈夫告诉我，那些冒出头的全是杂草。他还催促我，要尽快将杂草拔除，免得让我想要种的植物受到挤压，无法生长。

耶稣也告诉我们，对付那些会阻碍我们灵命成长的入侵者，至关重要。耶稣说了一个比喻，有一个撒种的出去撒种，“有落在荆棘里的……把它挤住了”（马太福音13章7节）。植物会被荆棘或杂草挤住，以致停止生长（22节）。同样地，你我的灵命也会因忧虑而无法成长。读经祷告是帮助我们信心增长的绝佳方式，但我发现，我需要小心防备那如同荆棘般的忧虑。这些忧虑会“挤住”上帝那早已种在我心中的美善真理，使我总是担心害怕有什么坏事会发生。

圣经记载圣灵所结的果子包括仁爱、喜乐与和平（加拉太书5章22节）。我们要结出这样的果子，就需要藉着上帝的能力，拔除所有怀疑或忧虑的杂草。因为这样的杂草可能会让我们分心，并让我们的目光转离上帝。

作者：  潘恺兰

上帝如何帮助你，使祂种在你心田的
种子茁壮成长？
你如何拔除像忧虑这样的杂草？

亲爱的天父，请提醒我要经常拔除心中的杂草，
除去忧虑与谎言，
好叫我能在祢里面成长与结果实