Weeds vs Instruments

My pastor has been teaching through Philippians. I have been reading the tiny but meaty book in the mornings. It was an easy jump for me to go from Philippians to Colossians. In Colossians, Paul is focused on the preeminence of Christ. Today I sat on my deck and read and thought about Colossians.

I have been enjoying my mornings on my deck. I read a little, talk to God a little and then go play in the garden. Usually I harvest some onions and spinach and anything else I can find and come in and make an omelette. There is something satisfying about working for my food. This morning I was out in the garden pulling weeds when I remembered something my agronomy teacher said during a lecture. "Any plant is a weed when it is growing where you don't want it to grow." I was busy pulling out volunteer tomato plants. They volunteered to grow in the middle of my squash patch, in my flowers, and just about everywhere else.

As I pulled out volunteer tomatoes, bluegrass, clover, wild carrots and morning glories, I couldn't help but wonder how many times I have made myself a weed in God's garden. I always seem to want to volunteer to do something He hasn't given me to do. I think that happens when the focus of doing something for Him takes priority over being focused on Him.

Being focused on doing gets us into trouble. I think the seeker-sensitive-pomo-emergent agenda reflects the errant focus I am talking about. I don't think professing believers set out to build systems of ruin within the body of Christ. I think they start out wanting to bring honor to God but they lose their way and focus on what they need to do to bring people to God. Instead of being an instrument in God's hands they have tried to be the vehicle that draws a fallen people to Him. Since they do not have the power and strength of the Holy Spirit, they resort to what they do know. Seeker friendly is a politically correct term for manipulation. There is a difference between being winsome because your speech and demeanor reflect the love of Christ and being overly solicitous and dare I say, duplicitous, stooping to any level to get people through the doors of your church.

The Holy Spirit draws, the Gospel of Christ saves and we should be focused on the power and mercy of Almighty God; the preeminence of Christ and the strength of His name. We need to know our place and be clay in His hands instead of weeds in His garden.

Psalm 18:1-6 1 "I love Thee, O LORD, my strength."2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.4 The cords of death encompassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness terrified me.5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into His ears.

Hebrews 7:25-27 25 Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the {sins} of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

Col 1:13-20 13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation.16 For by Him all things were created, {both} in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created by Him and for Him.17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.19 For it was the {Father's} good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him,20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, {I say} whether things on earth or things in heaven.(NAS)