Saturday 12, September 2026

No one deliberately plants in weed-infested soil.

But God does.

Why? And is it our business?

It certainly is. Let’s consider Today’s Holy Nougat

Mark 4:18-19 CEB

[18] Others are like the seed scattered among the thorny plants. These are the ones who have heard the word;

[19] but the worries of this life, the false appeal of wealth, and the desire for more things break in and choke the word, and it bears no fruit.

The Thorny Soil Matters to God

We wouldn’t intentionally scatter seeds on the pavement, in rocky soil or among weeds. Yet God, knowingly does all of that. It suggests to me that God’s perspective is radically different from ours (see Isaiah 55:8-9). Moreover, God expects us to tend to the weeds and thorns. Oy!

Self-Check

How willing are we to weed others’ gardens at God’s request?

Deeper Dive

If fulfilling Christ’s law [of love] requires that we bear each other’s burdens (see Galatians 6:2), then weds and thorns matter. Not only because God’s ways are higher and more profound than our own, but also because some of us were thorny underbrush.

If we reflect on our personal lives BC i.e., before Christ, we might find we were choked by insecurity: trending, life like the Joneses, the trappings of wealth, and the endless quest to achieve more as proof of success and happiness. God didn’t give up on us. God offers us the security of being ‘sons of God’ (see John 1:12).

In a world where sons – firstborn or adopted – were guaranteed the best inheritance, being given that title meant there was no need to compare oneself with others. Siblings, belief in Christ can rid our souls of insecurity. For when we accept that we’re heirs to God’s promises, then we know that we don’t need to compare. Rather, we seek to live for Him.

Unfortunately, some of us are still not bearing fruit. Yet, we bear Christ’s name. This requires introspection followed by repentance, as it may be that we’re still putting stock in the world’s opinion, rather than God’s opinion of us.

That’s what the devil tried to do with Y’shua in the temptations. He tried to sow insecurity about Y’shua’s identity with the phrase, ‘if you are’. The temptations could be summarised as If You are truly God’s Son, then… [prove it]. Y’shua didn’t ever yield to that trick. Not even on the cross. His knowledge of His own identity led Him to offer us rest from the rat race, strength to overcome the thorns of insecurity and self-doubt. That’s how we escape the thorns and find the grace to thrive.

Point to Ponder

Let’s look for ways to offer healthy support to those struggling with insecurity within the faith or without. In so doing, the seed isn’t sown in vain and we fulfill the law of Christ.

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May all we seek be found in Christ