d undermine the work of Jesus. He wants to dilute the life of witness by the disciples. He uses the cover of darkness to do his vile deeds. Jesus does not leave his first disciples, nor us, under the illusion that his power will make things easy and that people will just flock to him to be changed by him. From the beginning he reminds us of the opposition and the problematic issues of false disciples. Jesus is aware that his Kingdom will face corruption from the evil one, so we must be ready as well.
Today's Prayer
Almighty God, El Shaddai who thundered forth at Sinai, show your power today and bind Satan's power for a time and strengthen and bring renewal to your people. We fervently pray for true Spirit-led revival in our hearts, our homes, and our nations. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
Then Jesus used another story to teach them. Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man that planted good seed in his field. That night, all the people were asleep. The man's enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat. Then the enemy went away. Later, the wheat grew and heads of grain grew on the wheat plants. But at the same time the weeds also grew. Then the man's servants came to him and said, 'You planted good seed in your field. Where did the weeds come from?' "The man answered, 'An enemy planted weeds.' "The servants asked, 'Do you want us to go pull the weeds?' "The man answered, 'No, because when you pull up the weeds, you might also pull up the wheat. Let the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest time. At the harvest time I will tell the workers this: First gather the weeds and tie them together to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.'" Then Jesus told the people another story: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. A person plants that seed in his field. That seed is one of the smallest of all seeds. But when the seed grows, it is one of the largest garden plants. It becomes a tree, big enough for the birds to come and make nests in its branches." Then Jesus told the people another story: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour to make bread. The yeast makes all the dough (bread) rise." Jesus used stories to tell all these things to the people. Jesus always used stories to teach the people. This is the same as what the prophet said: "I will speak using stories; I will tell things that have been secrets since the world was made." Then Jesus left the people and went into the house. His followers came to him and said, "Explain to us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field." Jesus answered, "The person that planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Man. The field is the world. The good seed are all of God's children in the kingdom. The weeds arethose people that belong to the Evil One (the devil). And the enemy that planted the bad seed is the devil. The harvest time is the end of the world. And the workers that gather are God's angels. "The weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire. It will be the same at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send his angels, and his angels will find the people that cause sin and all people that do evil. The angels will take those people out of his kingdom. The angels will throw those people into the place of fire. In that place the people will be crying and grinding their teeth {with pain}. Then the good people will shine like the sun. They will be in the kingdom of their Father. You people that hear me, listen!
— Matthew 13:24-43 (ERV)
 | God With Us:
365 Devotionals from the Gospel of Matthew
By Phil Ware
Join the author of the Gospel of Matthew in God With Us, a devotional that will immerse you in exploring the glories of Immanuel. The book uses one short passage each day and follows the Gospel text from beginning to end. Each day's passage is followed by a brief Reflection to open up the day's Scripture and a Prayer to show how the verses challenge you to live for Jesus. |
Comments on "The Enemy Among Us":
Easy-to-Read Version copyright © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center. All rights reserved.
Get Phil's book God With Us featuring 365 Devotionals from the Gospel of Matthew.
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But you, brothers and sisters, are not living in darkness (sin). And so that day will not surprise you like a thief. You are all people who belong to the light (goodness). You belong to the day. We don't belong to the night or to darkness (evil). So we should not be like other people. We should not be sleeping. We should be awake and have self-control. People who sleep, sleep at night. People who get drunk, get drunk at night. But we belong to the day (goodness), so we should control ourselves. We should wear faith and love to protect us. And the hope of salvation should be our helmet. God did not choose us to suffer his anger. God chose us to have salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. —1 Thessalonians 5:4-9 (ERV)
To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. Wear the full armor (protection) of God. Wear God's armor so that you can fight against the devil's evil tricks. Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world's darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. —Ephesians 6:10-12 (ERV)
But, dear friends, use your most holy faith to build yourselves up strong. Pray with the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love. Wait for the Lord Jesus Christ with his mercy to give you life forever. —Jude 1:20-21 (ERV)
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