Pam Padgett ... teacher
Matthew 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,
The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good
seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and
sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But
when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then
appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said
unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from
whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath
done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go
and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up
the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow
together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will
say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind
them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
While reading the parable of the tares, it stood out to me that when
the seed brought forth fruit, the tares became apparent also.
As we go through life we find that we have interests, activities,
jobs in common with others. We look and seem similar in these
things.
But when we bring forth fruit of God ... speaking and doing
according to the word of God ... those who are not of God become
apparent. They can't understand and often hate what we say and do
when we are led by the Holy Spirit.
When I was attending a singles group at a church many years ago, we
all seemed "alike" to me. We all said we were Christians and had
come to the same church group carrying Bibles with us.
But when I shared scripture which warn us that a divorced woman
commits adultery if she re-marries and a man who marries a divorced
woman commits adultery, those in the singles group separated
themselves from me. We were not alike, although we looked alike for
a time before the word of God on this matter came forth.
They did not love and conform themselves to the Word of God but
rather went against the Word, "tares".
Matthew 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away
his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to
commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced
committeth adultery.
Romans 7:1 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to
them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a
man as long as he liveth? 2 For the woman which hath an husband
is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if
the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to
another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her
husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no
adulteress, though she be married to another man.