Weeding the GardenRomans 12:9

Family – Our Garden

• Every mother and father want to have a beautiful family with happy children who grow up to be happy and successful adults.

• How do we grow this beautiful garden.

A beautiful garden is not necessarily filled with

• Doctors• Engineers• Bankers• Lawyers

• Be careful that you don’t push CAREER over CHARACTER. Don’t emphasize the TEMPORAL over the ETERNAL.

What keeps us from having a beautiful garden?• Lack of water• Weeds

We need life-giving water

• Lack of the water of salvation. Jesus said, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

We need to pull weeds

• Weeds need to be pulled when they are small and the ground is soft

• “Teach me while my heart is tender;Tell me all that I should knowAnd even through the years I will rememberNo matter where I go!”

Romans 12:99 爱，不要虚假；要厌弃恶、持守善； Chinese Standard Bible (Simplified)9 爱必须真诚，要憎恨邪恶，对美好的事物要执着。 CNT-Easy-to-Read Version9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. KJV9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is

good. NLT9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. NAS9 [Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror

from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good. Amplified9 Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is

good. CEV9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.ESV9 Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good. Good News 9 Let us have no imitation Christian love. Let us have a genuine break with evil and a real devotion

to good. JB Philips 9Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear

life to good. The Message9 Love must be honest and true. Hate what is evil. Hold on to what is good. NIrV9 Your love must be real. Hate what is evil, and hold on to what is good. New Century9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. NIV•

LOVE Romans 9:12a9 爱，不要虚假 Chinese Standard Bible (Simplified)9 爱必须真诚 CNT-Easy-to-Read Version9 Let love be without dissimulation. KJV9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. NLT9 Let love be without hypocrisy. NAS9 Let love be genuine. ESV9 [Let your] love be sincere (a real thing). Amplified9 Be sincere in your love for others CEV9 Love must be completely sincere. Good News Bible 9 Let us have no imitation Christian love. JB Phillips 9Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. The Message9 Love must be honest and true. NIrV9 Your love must be real. New Century•

I Corinthians 13:4-8

Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle,

• Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.

The Weed of SELFFISHNESS

Love cares more for others than for self. Isn't always "me first."

• We live in the “me” generation.• Your child is NOT a king or queen.

• Teach your child how to share• Teach your child how to give.• Teach your child how to sacrifice for others.• Don’t reward your child for everything, but

give praise when it is due.

What about you?

• Are you sharing with those in need?• 852 million people go to bed hungry every

night.• Every 20 seconds a child dies from a water-

related disease

THE Weed of ENVYLove doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn’t envy. Teach your child to be content with what he has.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:11-12

“Godliness with contentment is great gain.” I Timothy 6:6

• Our economy is built on envy. • Don’t give in to, “I want what she has!”

The Weed of PRIDE

Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,Always looks for the best

Evil Romans 9:12b9 要厌弃恶 Chinese Standard Bible (Simplified)9 要憎恨邪恶 CNT-Easy-to-Read Version9 Hate what is wrong. NLT9 Abhor what is evil NAS9 hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror

from wickedness]. Amplified9 Hate everything that is evil CEV9 Let us have a genuine break with evil JB Philips 9Run for dear life from evil; The Message9 Hate what is evil. NIrV•

What causes a seemingly innocent child to grow up to be an evil man?

• “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child.” Proverbs 22:15

Children do not know how to judge right and wrong. They must be trained.

• Be diligent about:• Books• Movies• Friends• Teachers

• You must be actively involved in your child’s life

• Ask questions.• Keep asking questions.

• Read the books they are reading.• Watch the movies they watch.• Invite their friends to your home.• Sit in the classroom and visit regularly with

their teacher.

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GOOD9 持守善； Chinese Standard Bible (Simplified)9 对美好的事物要执着。 CNT-Easy-to-Read Version9 cleave to that which is good. KJV9 cling to what is good. NIV9 hold tight to everything that is good. CEV9 hold fast to what is good.ESV9 Hold on to what is good. NIrV 9hold on for dear life to good. The Message9 Let us have a real devotion to good. JB Philips•

Teach the Good

• Daily devotions• Bible verses on the walls of your home.

The Fruits

• The Christian life is not simply a list of DO NOTS. It is much more…

• Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

• Model these fruits in your own life, and see them blossom in your child’s life.

COVER

• Actually the best way to have a weed-free garden is to prevent them with mulch.

Prayer

• 12 在祷告上要恒切• 12 要坚持祈祷• 12Continue steadfastly in prayer. NIV• 12 Be constant in prayer. ESV • 12 When you pray, be faithful. NIrV• 12 Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder.

The Message

• 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.