4 Ways Weeds Sneak In And Steal Growth
Jesus talked a fair amount about weeds. There are other biblical references as well.Ā
It starts early, in fact. Genesis 3:18 introduces weeds as a consequence of sin, saying, "the ground will produce thorns and weeds..."
In the parable of the soils in Matthew 13, Jesus talks about how weeds are like worries and temptations. They distract us from the primary objective. Later in that same chapter is another story about weeds. This one is interesting in that Jesus says to go ahead and let the weeds grow alongside the wheat, only this time He is referring to weeds as people who don't follow Him. (The writer of Hebrews also refers to these people as weeds.)Ā
Weeds are sneaky. Here are 4 ways they sneak in and steal growth.
1) They start small and can grow to overshadow the valuable plants they are near. They steal the needed connection to the sun.Ā
2) They use resources the plant needs. The nutrients and moisture in the soil are diverted from the plant and spent on the weeds.
3) They ...
Ten Tips for Great Mentoring Relationships
As a former Bible college dean, Iā€™ve had many young people ask for mentoring. For clarityā€™s sake, I learned to ask back what exactly they were looking for in a mentoring relationship.
Hereā€™s some of the answers I received:
- I donā€™t know what Iā€™m looking for, isnā€™t that what you are supposed to decide?
- Well, I just know I am supposed to have a mentor, so whatever you think is right is good by me.
- I need someone to tell me how to grow spiritually.
While I applauded their initiative for spiritual growth and there was some value in their ideology, in this paradigm the responsibility for their development was all placed on me. I felt I was supposed to design a pathway for their spiritual growth. They wanted me to discern what their next steps would be. And in some cases, there was a hope that I would use my influence to connect them with a ministry position. Their perspective was one where I would be the leader, the teacher, and the guide and they would come willing to receive.
Thi...
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