The End of the Age

"The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels." - Matthew 13:38-39

I well remember my father-in-law's sage advice when it came to fads or quirky ministry ideas. "Just give it time" he would say. I learned a great deal from my pastoral mentor. He taught me that God keeps the books and in time "wisdom is proved right by all her children" (Luke 7:35 NIV84). We need to stay on point and leave the rest to Him until the end of the age.

Early on, weeds will have the appearance of wheat. It's not until the wheat sprouts that the truth is known. But, what then? Are we called to be "weed police" or to be "wheat producers"? The answer is obvious when we hear our Lord's slightly different analogy to Peter in John 21:15, "Feed my Lambs". Stay on point by producing wheat and leave the rest to the Lord until the end of the age.

Harvest time always comes at the end of the season. As with the farmer, so should we patiently work the field in which we have been placed. Weeds of all sorts will pop up and occasionally appear to be the real deal with great success. Don't get flustered, just produce the wheat by feeding His lambs. It's not harvest time yet, so leave the rest to the Lord until the end of the age.