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1. Observations:
   The seed grew and must have been planted in soil so that it could take root. And it continued to grow so that the soil must have been good because it was harvested. And that’s very good.
   Yet in the soil there were also weeds and they also grow in the good soil. This is the Gardeners garden after all. Weeds do grow in the good soil ever since the fall. Both the weeds and the wheat grow but the harvest time is when it all come together.

   Application:
   The Christian life I compare to a mathematical ray – a starting point and then the line extending forever from the starting point. The starting point is earth and the never ending line is our never ending destination. Today we are in the world and not of the world – wheat among the tares. Today God is First and that distinguishes the wheat from the tares. Our destination is is sure when we live each day as a day of our Lord and continue to grow in His SonShine. Growth is not an option. Produce good fruit I must. They will know we/I am a Christian by our/my love/fruit.

   Prayer{
   Help me Lord in my ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ so I arrive at home. Continue to be my Guardian, Guide, Provider for my daily growth so I do produce good fruit. Empower me. SpiritLead. SpiritFed. GodStrong.

   The Fruit of the Spirit’s not an *apple,
   The Fruit of the Spirit’s not an apple.
   If you want to be an apple, you might as well hear it,
   You can’t be a Fruit of the Spirit.

   The Fruit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.

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2. Is the kingdom of heaven about the trip, or the destination? Is today’s story about the harvest, or is it about how the wheat and the weeds get to live together until that time? It seems to have a quite a bit of emphasis on the growing phase, and a small bit about the harvest process. If this is the case then the kingdom of heaven is here and now, and includes interaction between those who have chosen to follow Jesus, and those who have not yet done so. It also includes interaction with those who are evil. We discovered earlier that those who are good will produce good, and those who are evil will produce evil. This story starts with a conflict of a person willfully planting weeds in a field intended for good seed. (Whenever I plant good seeds, weeds tend to grow without anyone planting weeds). Are mankind the weeds and the wheat? Perhaps the weeds and the wheat represent parts of each of us, and are good and evil growing in our lives. No one person is perfectly good (wheat) or purely evil (weeds). Each of us have different amounts of good and evil in our lives, and they live together. At some time, a harvest time, the good and evil will be separated.

   It is now becoming hard to differentiate between good and evil, even in the story. Wheat is now considered to be a problem for people’s health. (Read Wheat Belly, by William Davis) Also, what we consider weeds are often used as a food source for people of other cultures, and are quite tasty, I am told. This could further emphasise to me that things are not always as they seem. Nothing is exactly black and white.

   For me the story of today is how we are to live with those in the world, and to remain as a viable and vibrant follower of Jesus. I pray that this will be true in my life. I pray that as good and evil are all around, that I can help to spread the good, and reduce evil where possible.

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