Have a look at a text like Isaiah 44 and see how God guarantees his own word - He will accomplish what his word has been sent to achieve! The curious point made by God is the invitation to witness him doing just that. Then turn to Romans 8 and read about God's assuring word that proclaims to each believer that you have the same Spirit in you that raised Jesus from the grave. We have resurrection power invested in us! Not only does it affirm that we are being led by the Spirit, but that we receive all that is attributed to Christ. Keep that in mind as you flip the pages over to Matthew 13; the parable of the weeds.
All the good intentions spoiled by the weeds. Jesus of course explains his own parable for us with the parallel of the good seed sown as the godly and the weeds as the godless. Notice that the disciples were keen for an action plan - 'let's pull out the weeds!' But Jesus tells them to let these two realities grow up together for the time being. When the right time presents itself, Jesus will give the angels charge to begin the cleanup job.
At church we begin every worship service with a time to confess the wrongs and rubbish accumulated in our life. That is the cleanup job that I think has a reference for us here as well. Whenever we try to get the better over our sin, it only ends in a worse situation. But, let Jesus assess the situation and we have the end result transferred to us in the present: 'your sins are forgiven!' Then the good stuff can shine without it being spoilt by the schemes of the evil one - this is what holiness is truly about: the realization that God is at work. We are all a work-under-construction. That is perhaps another definition of God's amazing grace. So be gracious to one another, because God isn't finished yet.
Rev.'D
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