READ: PROVERBS 28:13; ROMANS 7:21–8:2; 1 JOHN 1:5–2:2

My friend and I share a community garden plot at our church. But in the middle of the summer, there was a week when neither of us was able to take care of it, so the garden ended up being a bit neglected. And the weeds were absolutely thrilled.

So, I got to work. The first weeds I saw were in between the rows of tomatoes and kale. I pulled them up easily, and I thought I was mostly done. Then, I saw more weeds lurking in the dirt, cloaked by tomato leaves right at the base of the plants. If I’d just pulled the obvious weeds and moved on, the garden would’ve looked well-tended and fruitful…for a while. But those hidden weeds would’ve stolen nutrients from the tomato plants, hindering their growth and resulting in fewer tomatoes. So I reached under the tomato leaves and pulled up the weeds.

This whole process reminded me of dealing with sin in our lives. The obvious sins, like the weeds in between the rows of veggies in my garden, are quickly spotted and dealt with—if we’re paying attention. We can usually notice them right away and bring them straight to Jesus, receiving His forgiveness and restoration.

But there are other sins—hidden, sneaky sins—that try to attack the most fruitful parts of our lives. Like the weeds that lurk in the shadows, they hinder our growth and steal our fruit. We might be doing things that look very good, like volunteering at church, helping our neighbors, and working hard at school. But those fruitful places can be where Satan would most like to attack, sowing seeds of pride, arrogance, and self-righteousness. We can easily be tempted to put our identity in our good works rather than in Christ.

But praise the Lord, He is so good at helping us root out these hidden sins. Jesus died and rose again to forgive us, save us from sin, and bring us near to Himself. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we are new creations, so those weeds have no place in our lives (2 Corinthians 5:17). He loves us so much, and He will faithfully tend to our hearts and show us where sins need to be pulled out. He is eager to help us be rid of them so we can flourish and thrive, resting in Him and doing the good works He has prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). • Taylor Eising

• Have you noticed any sin hiding under good works in your life? Consider spending some time talking with Jesus, asking Him to reveal any hidden sins and confessing whatever sins come to mind. Then, thank Him for His forgiveness and walk forward in His mercy and grace.

For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! Ephesians 5:8 (NLT)