Matthew 13:24-30 – “ He presented them with another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed darnel among the wheat and went away. ²⁶ When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the darnel also appeared. ²⁷ So the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the darnel come from?’ ²⁸ He said, ‘An enemy has done this!’ So, the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather it?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the darnel, you may uproot the wheat along with it. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time, I will tell the reapers, “First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, the thought of being self-appointed defenders of God flooded my consciousness.  Jesus spoke of divided kingdoms in Matthew 12. In Matthew 13, we have a fascinating parable.

The tares and the wheat are growing in the same field. Several things surfaced:

• The Tares & Wheat are in the same field.
• They are growing (could speak of prominence and position).
• The Danger of Rooting out the Tares.

The Danger is destroying innocent wheat.  If we become self-appointed purgers of error, we may and probably will destroy some wheat in the process. It is always God’s heart to protect the wheat.

Is letting the tares & wheat grow together a sign that God overlooks error? Is it a sign that error is never confronted or corrected? Is it a live-and-let-live attitude that Jesus is teaching? NO! It is God’s concern for the wheat. God will deal with error in His time. Remember His warning about offending one of the little ones or weak ones? He said that the one causing the offense would be better off if they were anchored to the bottom of the ocean.

Remember what Jesus said to Peter after the resurrection about feeding and caring for the sheep?  Caring for the sheep involves being careful not to destroy them and feeding them.  A diet of truth will expose far more error with a restorative result than blazing in and pulling up tares.

Love repels more error than judgment. Love heals, restores, and preserves.   Remember, it is God’s field, not ours. Our job is to love! Our job is to be our brother’s keeper. Our job is to teach truth! Self-appointed Tare Busters do more harm than Good. Maybe they are not as wrong as you think. Maybe they are redeemable.

Let’s love God and people.

Psalm 62:11-12 – “God has declared one principle; two principles I have heard: God is strong, ¹² and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love.  For you repay men for what they do.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, I was drawn to two thoughts – God and the Harvest.

In Psalm 62:11-12, there is the revelation that God owns power and mercy. Think about that.  Both belong to God.  If something is owned, the owner decides how, when, and by whom it is used. Jesus said, “Be merciful as I am merciful.”   All we do and are flows from Him.  We can do nothing in ourselves.  We can do anything through Him.  That reveals the necessity of God!

Psalm 65:4 reveals the benefits of pleasing God.  That gives access to blessings, God’s presence, God’s courts, and provision.  The Harvest is God’s focus, not kingdom building.  I’m not talking about His kingdom, but our kingdoms. In everything, the Law of Harvest comes into play.  

The Harvest and the Law of Harvest are connected, though not the same. The Harvest is the objective, and the Law of Harvest is a vehicle. 

The Golden Rule operates on the Law of Harvest principle – Sow then reap. Reap what we sow, later than we sow, and more than we sow.   Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus pointed the disciples toward God’s objective. How do we harvest?

If we make God real by manifesting Him in our lives, people are drawn to the light.  If we do the work of the kingdom (signs & wonders), people are drawn to the light.  If we demonstrate the love of God, people are drawn to the light.  If we focus on people rather than position, popularity, power, or purse, souls are harvested.

Matthew 10:7-8 reveals the way we know the kingdom is near – “Heal the sick, cleanse the leper, cast out demons; freely you have received, freely give.”

The need is not more revelation but more heaven in us.  When heaven is in us to overflow, the kingdom is manifested, and the harvest gathered. 
It is God first! Whatever is most valuable to us holds our hearts and is our treasure. If God is most valuable, His Harvest will be, too.

Lord, help us to become laborers in Your harvest!

1 Kings 3:5 – “At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, ‘Ask what I shall give you.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, the subject of dreams, divine and supernatural dreams fill my thoughts.  I wondered, do we value dreams enough, even the ones we consider strange?  Why do we dream?   Are dreams merely a phenomenon of our psyche, or are they a means of communication, guidance, or warning?

Do we need divine guidance, or has God formed us and then left it up to us to find our way?  He gives us great latitude in decisions, but please think naturally for a moment.   If you have children or employees, you are responsible for, do you leave them totally without guidance and expect them to fulfill their purpose or assignment?   Don’t you offer guidance, even minimally?   Would God be different?

Could dreams be God’s way of communicating to our uncluttered minds?   In sleep, we are not distracted by the busyness of the day.  What better time for God to download information than in a dream?

In Matthew, we have numerous examples of supernatural divine instruction through dreams.  Joseph, Mary’s husband, had multiple dreams that helped preserve the Seed.  The Magi were also warned in a dream.   Pilate’s wife warned him because of a dream.   God will use any means possible to communicate with us, and the one with the least resistance and distraction is DREAMS.

We discount them because we don’t understand them or they are incomplete.   We discount them because we do not recognize dreams as a means of communication.   We discount them because a supernatural divine dream makes us uncomfortable.  

It is almost like we resist the idea that God has access to our subconscious, which is frightening.   It takes control from us and reveals that we can hide nothing from God.   Before we protest, we do it subconsciously with our masks.  We pretend we are okay when we are not.  We pretend we are not angry when we are.  We pretend we don’t doubt when we do.  

Dreams bypass all that and give God an open channel of communication. Therefore, do not discount or discard any dream UNTIL and UNLESS you have carefully prayed over it.  It may require 2 or 10 dreams to piece the pieces together and see the message.

We need guidance and omit a prime means because of our disbelief in the possibility.   Joel 2 declares that dreams will be a part of the Last Days.   Start expecting to remember the communicative dreams and write them down.  You will develop the ability to remember and discover a means of communication you have lacked.  You dream, but do you benefit from them the way God intended?   God is the Speaking God.  Start listening.

Lord, help us to be open to You in our dreams and be quick to obey!

Joshua 4:4-7 – “So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. ⁵ He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁶ We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ⁷ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.”

Each year on Memorial Day, I think of those memorialized and remembered.  In the life of a believer, we also have Memorial Days or Days of Remembrance in which we reflect on what God has done in our lives.

I suggest that you read Joshua 4:4-7 (memorial stones), 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (The Lord’s Supper), and Revelation 2:5 (God).   If you let those resonate in your heart, you will have a deeper understanding of Memorialization, the what, and the why.

Traditionally, Memorial Day is focused on honoring those who gave their lives fighting for Freedom.  Remembering and honoring them is a worthy endeavor, one I wholly endorse.   I am a Vietnam Veteran, having served in Vietnam in 1967, and I have a deep appreciation and respect for my fellow veterans of all ages, past and present.   We owe them a debt of gratitude we could never repay.

We cannot restore their lives. We cannot relieve the pain their families endured and are enduring.  We cannot roll back time and find a way to avoid the conflict that necessitated their service and ultimate sacrifice.  We cannot, but we can REMEMBER THEM!

We can express and demonstrate Gratitude for what they did and what we have as a result of their selfless sacrifice.  As an American and a Veteran, I become incensed when I see or hear anyone disrespecting the American flag or our service personnel.  As a Christian, I try to have restraint; otherwise, I would physically confront those acting so ignorantly and disrespectfully.  War is Horrific and, as some have said, Hell.  It leaves scars that can never be healed outside the Love of God.  Were it not for the Grace of God, I shudder to think of where I would be today, BUT GOD transformed me, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Hold these thoughts in your mind:

The Price of Freedom is Very High.

Forgetting To Remember is Incredibly Dangerous.

Forgetting Results in Thanklessness.

Remembering Keeps Judgment At Bay.

As we remember the fallen and what they fought for, we should allow the Holy Spirit to draw us into God’s Presence.  The world needs us to be fully surrendered to Jesus. God desires for us to stand in the Gap and Intercede for the Lost.

Our Spiritual Responsibility is to be fully committed to God and to sound the alarm.  Our moral responsibility is to submit fully to God and be an example for the world.  Our Responsibility Socially is to come out from among them and provide an example of an alternative to the evil of this world.

What Would Jesus Do?  Let’s strive to do that!  As we reflect on our personal Memorial Stones, let’s make today a day of remembrance, gratitude, and prayer, and celebrate our spiritual victory in Jesus!

Pile up memorial stones and never forget what has been purchased for us at the Cross!