“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 13:40-42
God Will Burn the Weeds in Fire
Daily Devotion – August 6, 2020
Devotion based on Matthew 13:40-42
See series: Devotions
When you pull weeds out of your garden, what do you do with them? Do you arrange them in a vase and set them in your living room? Do you extract their seeds so that you can plant them next year? Of course not. Weeds, by definition, are plants that you didn’t want in your garden, and you have no use for them. So, when you pull them from your garden, you throw them away on your brush pile or in your garbage can.
In Jesus’ story, when harvest time came, the farmer sent his harvesters into his field. Their first task was to gather all the weeds, bind them in bundles, and burn them.
A time of harvest is coming for this world as well. On the last day of this world’s existence, Jesus will return, accompanied by all his angels. He will send his angels to separate those who refused to believe in him from those who do believe, just as the harvesters in Jesus’ parable separated the weeds from the wheat. Then, he will cast those who refused to believe in him into the eternal fires of hell, where they will experience eternal separation from God and all of his blessings.
This is not the way God wants things to work out for people. God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). That’s why he sent his Son to live, die, and rise again for all people. Unfortunately, people reject the gifts of salvation and eternal life that God offers them in Christ.
But for those who by God’s grace do believe in Jesus as their Savior, a different, more glorious future awaits. They will shine like the sun forever in the glories of heaven.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, keep me always close to Jesus, my Savior, that I may never lose the blessings that he has won for me. Amen.
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