Mrs. Jacobs looked down at the disheveled flowerbed. Her gloves were caked in dirt. In a vain attempt to save her favorite Peony bush, she tore at the vine that was choking it. For hours she tried to pry its tendrils from the frail branches. “Finally, success,” she exclaimed as she tore out the last piece of the weed’s root system.

For weeks afterward, she carefully watered the bush in hopes that it would return to full health. Sadly, it never did. She had waited too long to uproot the weed. Now it was too late.

Just as there is a constant battle against weeds in nature, there is an ongoing struggle against the “weeds” in our Christian life. These “weeds” are things that choke us spiritually—things like the desire for wealth, popularity and the world’s acclaim. The list goes on and on. In our Scripture passage, we read that when we allow ourselves to be choked by these “weeds” we will become unfruitful.

Are there “weeds” in your Christian life? Have you been putting off dealing with them? Remember, when you allow them in your life they will choke you—it is only a matter of time. Although you cannot lose your salvation, you can lose your ability to be fruitful. Take a moment right now to dig out the weeds of the world before it is too late.