Looks Can Be Deceiving

An unusually thick stalk caught my attention as I pulled suckers off my tomato plants (good-looking shoots growing between the branch and the stem that suck nutrients from the plant). But looking more closely, I saw it was a giant green caterpillar happily munching on the leaves. The plants’ suckers that made my tomato plants look full and thriving were deceptive. The insect that looked like a bloated stem almost got away with its camouflage. Both would have stunted and destroyed the plants if left unattended.

“By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil” (Proverbs 16:6). 

The prophets of old foretold God would send Jesus as the atonement for the world’s sins. He did, and if you opened your heart to Him, His Son’s blood cleansed you from your sins. By His mercy and in truth to His Word, Jesus paid your sin debt; God forgave you.

Life’s pleasures, allurements, and corruptions sometimes disguise themselves as harmless when they are not, and we fall prey to them. The evils of this world can be deceptive, just like Satan can appear to be an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14). But God’s Spirit reveals the truth to His children who let Him work in their lives. Ask Him to search your heart and thoughts (Psalm 139:23–24); He will unmask threats that vie to hinder your walk with the Lord. Remove that which you must and surrender to Him for cleansing.

Plants can’t care for themselves. Good gardeners take care of their gardens—God cares for His “plantings” by pruning away what hinders their growth and fruitfulness. Because of who God is and what He has done for us—to honor Him—turn away from any form of evil lest you find yourself under the Lord’s discipline.