An elderly teacher, with a pupil by his side, took a walk through a forest.

Suddenly he stopped and pointed to four weeds close at hand.

The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself pretty well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth had become a little tree.

The tutor said to his young companion, ‘Pull up the first weed.’

The boy did so eagerly, using only his fingers.

‘Now pull up the second.’ The youth obeyed but found the task more difficult.

‘Do the same with the third,’ he urged. The boy had to use all his strength to uproot it.

‘Now,’ said the instructor, ‘try your hand with the fourth.’ The pupil put his arms around the trunk of the tree and couldn’t even shake its leaves.

‘This, my son, is just what happens with our bad habits. When they are young, we can remove them readily; but when they are old, it’s hard to uproot them, though we try and struggle ever so sincerely.’

We all have weeds and even enormous Redwoods that need uprooting in our lives.

It takes a lot of effort to get strong enough to move those big ones on our own. Perhaps you’re weary of pulling.

God doesn’t expect us to pull these bad habits ourselves. Let’s ask the Lord to do the uprooting today and watch Him gain the victory.

Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. Matthew 21:21

–by George Whitten