ROOTED

Well....this weed had a deep “foundation”--and I'm glad the soil was moist enough that I could “liberate it” from further growth without leaving the root in the soil to propagate again. I'm sure you've seen—as I have—homes in the community where weeds have taken over. I pass by one nearly every week, the once-trim lawn now thigh-high in weeds. I know that house, in and out. Back in my single days (the early 1970s) I rented a bedroom there for a winter. At that time it had orange shag rug, and my roommates had a dog who thought that rug was a dandy location for its, uh, “bathroom duties.” But, I digress...

Driving past it now—overwhelmed by weeds and more—I remember our  “renter duties” of mowing and weeding. We kept it 'lookin' good." Now when I see an unkempt house, I think of several reasons “why.” Sometimes it's in an estate situation—the owner deceased, the inheritance knotted up in probate issues. Or it may be owner-occupied, and that owner unwell or just doesn't care. Or, third choice, a rental, with an absentee owner who, well, just doesn't care as long as the occupants pay the rent.

Bear with me for the analogy, but I wonder if our Lord looks over His world and finds hearts that are spiritually unkempt, full of the weeds of bad habits, sloth, anger, or indifference. I remember this principle: “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). If the body-and-mind-house (our flesh-blood-thinking “selves”) doesn't have Jesus in residence and in control, it often shows in what we present outwardly to the world through our demeanor and words.

That seems to be a common theme in letters that the apostle Paul wrote to fledgling churches. Besides the one at Corinth (mentioned above which had its share of worldly “habits” to change) there were believers at Colossae (in modern-day Turkey), who got this Pauline reminder: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6-7).

In other words, the inner character that is revealed in our “outward lives”--as the soil yields either a mess of weeds or a groomed, cared-for lawn—is what the world sees. It's also how the world regards the difference that a faith “rooted” in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior can make in our inside/outside "person."

Come to think about, one alternative to a cared-for lawn is one overwhelmed by crab grass. And it's hard to be “overflowing with thankfulness” if you've got weeds of crabby discontent in your life. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go out and dig some weeds out of my real lawn.

Druthers

“Druther”: it’s a contraction of “I’d rather,” or as a noun means “personal choice.”  For example, if I had my “druthers” between eating liver and crunchy green bell peppers, I druther take the peppers any day. But sometimes those “druthers” belong to negative choices. Although posted in jest, this photo of our family cat (“Keep your paws off my remote”) suggests how entertainment can grip us like a cat’s claws. It’s not just about television (programming, videos/DVDs). So can the internet (browsing, games, social media), smart-phone play, music devices, and, on the darker side, pornography. Though technology has changed, the problem is old. Even back in the First century, Peter warned about the “druthers”: “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

J. Oswald Sanders, a great missionary leader and preacher in the last century, wrote in The Joy of Following Jesus (Moody, 1994, p. 80): “In one sense, life consists largely of making habits and breaking habits, for we are all creatures of habit.  We are unconsciously forming and fracturing habits all the time, and for that reason this area of life must be brought under Christ’s control.  It is an essential part of the soul’s education.”

Contrary to some popular thinking, God doesn’t treat us like marionettes or string puppets, twisting the guide strings this way and that to rid us of bad habits. They must be broken the way they were made: by our own choices. We’re not left alone in that task: “It is God who works in you to will and act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). Sanders added: “The aid of the Holy Spirit is always available in the forming of a new and good habit, but it is we who must do it.  God does not act instead of us: it is a partnership.”

When a negative habit lures, some have found it helpful to pray right then, either aloud or silently, “With God’s help, I choose not to do this.” Being accountable to a trusted friend or group may help. So may keeping a log of how much time this habit takes. Sometimes the wake-up call about a habit is a desperate circumstance, like a family crisis, arrest or intervention that leads to a rehab center. 

Not all habits are bad. Saunders points out this one: “In the culture of the soul, no habit is more crucial and formative than maintaining a consistent devotional life—a regular time reserved for fellowship and communion with God.  Not everyone finds that easy, but its importance and value cannot be exaggerated. Since that is the case, it is only reasonable to expect that the habit will be the focus of relentless attack from our adversary” (p. 81).

Talking about “druthers,” Satan would “druther” we neglect habitually drawing close to God. At such times, we need to dig in with spiritual claws and tell Satan to scoot!