Weeding the Garden
Romans 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
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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 know
And even through the years I will remember
No matter where I go!”
Romans 12:9
9 爱，不要虚假；要厌弃恶、持守善；Chinese
Standard Bible (Simplified)
Version
9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. KJV
9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is
good. NLT
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. NAS
9 [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. Amplified
9 Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is
good. CEV
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.ESV
9 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 Message
9 Love must be honest and true. Hate what is evil. Hold on to what is good. NIrV
9 Your love must be real. Hate what is evil, and hold on to what is good. New Century
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. NIV
9 爱必须真诚，要憎恨邪恶，对美好的事物要执着。CNT-Easy-to-Read
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LOVE Romans 9:12a
9 爱，不要虚假Chinese
Standard Bible (Simplified)
9 爱必须真诚CNT-Easy-to-Read Version
9 Let love be without dissimulation. KJV
9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. NLT
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. NAS
9 Let love be genuine. ESV
9 [Let your] love be sincere (a real thing). Amplified
9 Be sincere in your love for others CEV
9 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 Message
9 Love must be honest and true. NIrV
9 Your love must be real. New Century
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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.
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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 waterrelated disease
THE Weed of ENVY
Love 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 9:12b
9 要厌弃恶
Chinese Standard Bible (Simplified)
9 要憎恨邪恶 CNT-Easy-to-Read Version
9 Hate what is wrong. NLT
9 Abhor what is evil NAS
9 hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror
from wickedness]. Amplified
9 Hate everything that is evil CEV
9 Let us have a genuine break with evil JB Philips
9Run for dear life from evil; The Message
9 Hate what is evil. NIrV
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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.
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Be diligent about:
Books
Movies
Friends
Teachers
• You must be actively involved in your child’s
life
• Ask questions.
• Keep asking questions.
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Read the books they are reading.
Watch the movies they watch.
\ friends to your home.
Invite their
Sit in the classroom and visit regularly with
their teacher.
GOOD
9持守善；Chinese
Standard Bible (Simplified)
9 对美好的事物要执着。CNT-Easy-to-Read Version
9 cleave to that which is good. KJV
9 cling to what is good. NIV
9 hold tight to everything that is good. CEV
9 hold fast to what is good.ESV
9 Hold on to what is good. NIrV
9hold on for dear life to good. The Message
9 Let us have a real devotion to good. JB Philips
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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 selfcontrol.
• 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
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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
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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.