Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading titled Pull the Weeds of Worry was written by Katera Patton.

After burying a few seeds in a planter in my backyard, I waited to see the results.

Reading that the seeds would sprout within 10 to 14 days, I checked often as I watered the soil.

Soon, I saw a few green leaves pushing their way out of the soil.

But my bubble burst quickly when my husband told me those were weeds.

He encouraged me to pull them quickly so that they wouldn't choke the plants I was trying to

grow. In Matthew 13, Jesus also told of the importance of dealing with intruders that can

impede our spiritual growth. He explained a portion of his parable this way.

When a sower cast his seeds, some fell among thorns and choked the plants.

Thorns or weeds will do just that to plants.

Stop their growth.

And worry will surely stunt our spiritual growth.

Reading scripture and praying are always great ways to grow our faith,

but I found I need to watch out for the thorns of worry.

They'll choke the good word that has been planted in me,

making me focus on what could go wrong.

The fruit of the spirit found in scripture includes such things as love, joy, peace,

but in order for us to bear that fruit, in God's strength,

we need to pull any weeds of doubt or worry that may distract us and cause us to focus on anything other than him.

Today's Our Daily Bread Devotional Scripture reading is from Matthew chapter 13, verses 1 through 8, and verses 18 through 23.

That same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.

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