Both Weeds and Wheat "Until the Harvest" 3-13-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come into my heart and go before me into my day. … "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well…. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, 'Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn' "(Matthew 13:24-30). We are nearing the very end of the age. And we should not be surprised that both the weeds and the wheat have grown into full maturity. What the Owner has sown and what the enemy has sown will begin to bear the fullness of the fruit determined by the source of its seed. Good and evil, righteousness and selfishness, blessings and curses, truth and deception, abundance and famine, faith and fear -- both the wheat and the weeds growing together into maturity "until the harvest." In explaining this parable, You said, "The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age" (v. 13:37-40). In our human wisdom, we want to say to the Owner of the field, "Why are You letting the evil continue to grow among the good? Why do You allow the thief to come kill, steal, and destroy when You want us to have life and have it abundantly? Why do You allow such injustice and suffering in a world You created as a paradise of peace? Don't You see? Don't You care? Won't You do something about it? Can You do something about it?" But as the master of the field said to his servants who discovered that bad seed was sown among the good, "An enemy has done this." When they wanted permission to go ahead gather up the weeds and uproot the bad fruit from the bad seed, the master replied, "No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them" (v. 13:27-29). The master had wisdom and ways that were different from the servants, though all desired the same goal of a good harvest of good seed from good soil. You are the Master of the field of our world. You are the Master of the field of our souls. You value Your children, Your good seed. And You value our maturity. And though it's hard for us to see and understand, there are things we must endure and overcome in order to grow up into full maturity. And though in our impatience and pride we think we know what's best for us, You are steadfast in Your mercy and Your purpose to work within each of us and within the generations of the earth all that You have always intended. On the day of harvest to come, we will be thankful that You did. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, The Fountain will be held in a different location this month due to a major weekend conference at our normal location. This month we will meet in the upstairs Community Room of First Southern National Bank at Harrodsburg Rd. and Corporate Dr. in Lexington on Friday Night, March 20. Please come and spread the word. Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the upstairs Community Room of First Southern Nat'l Bank this month. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to us at MessiahMin@aol.com Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted at Southland Evangelical Methodist Church 2601 Clays Mill Rd (corner of Clays Mill and Hill n' Dale). Contact Doris & Bob at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Friends, I'm excited to be the Keynote Speaker at the annual Lay Witness Mission retreat at St. Simon's Island, Georgia this weekend ( Lay Witness Mission ). I'll be preaching four times to encourage law witnesses from across the United Methodist Church and other denominations and traditions in their ministry of evangelism, and I would appreciate your prayers for us. I know I'll be inspired by their stories of God's glory, love, and power. And I pray they'll be inspired by mine. Find out more about having LWM teams come to your church through Aldersgate Renewal Ministries ( www.aldersgaterenewal.org ). God bless you! Do you know any women on the front lines of ministry who need the encouragement, renewal, or Sabbath rest? Consider inviting them to attend a day retreat of spiritual refreshment for women of faith led by Laura Beach, Equipping Lydia in association with Messiah Ministries. The testimonies that have come from past retreats have been rich with the Lord’s healing and restoration. The next open retreat dates are March 23 or 24 in Bryantsville, Kentucky, 30 minutes from Lexington. For more information, email laurabbeach@insightbb.com . Subscribe by email to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" http://www.messiah-ministries.org/ 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling to the Kingdom of God through Messiah Ministries On-line at http://www.shop.messiah-ministries.org/