“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot…”- Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
God is a God of order. From the ordering of creation in Genesis to his letter to the seven churches, God places an importance on everything working according to His plan and His timing. Farmers seed in the spring and harvest in the fall. If they begin the process too early or too late, the crop goes to waste. Farmers need just the right amount of rain and sun to make the crop grow. Too little rain scorches the crop; too much rain drowns it. Everything has to be done in the right order or else fruits and vegetables will not grow and people will not have food to eat. Our spiritual growth relies on God’s order as well. We have a myriad of resources from which to grow our spiritual crop. The seed is the word of God. Those words penetrate our souls, renew our minds and transform our hearts. What does this seed produce? It produces a Christian who connects with the spirit, uses his/her gifts and communicates with God through silence, solitude, fasting and other spiritual disciplines. You can’t grow a crop unless the soil is ready for cultivation. Soil that is too dry or too moist will impede the seed’s growth. Is it your time to begin to grow the seeds planted in your heart. Is it time to plant more or is it time to uproot them because the soil is not good for growth?
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The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives- Proverbs 11:30
Our church family sometimes drops by with the their recent picks from their garden. Juicy red tomatoes and juicy corn has graced our front doorstep on many occasions. Hungry for corn, I began to tear off the outside layer, only to find a gross worm had eaten some of them. As I chose each ear from the bag, I never knew what I was going to find once I tore off the outer covering. Some of it was good, some was good enough to eat (but part had to be cut off) and some was so destroyed it wasn’t wise to consume. All throughout Scripture we are called to bear fruit. Our words and actions reap a harvest in our lives as well as the lives of others’ lives—some of it is bad and some of it good. When a planter plants seeds in the soil, he never knows which seeds will produce a healthy crop and which ones will not because they all look the same. But God promises that if you are living a righteous life you will always bear fruit and that your fruit will be like a tree that gives life. There is no guessing whether what they will reap from their labors will be aligned with God or not; God is faithful to bless the fruits of those whose words and actions are made with good intentions, not bad ones. It is interesting to note the connection between wisdom and righteousness as well. I know many good hearted, well- meaning Christians who on the outside look like Christians, but their actions don’t produce fruit, but rather worms that devour the good fruit. Just as I couldn’t tell which ear of corn would be good and which one would be bad just by looking at it, so it is with people who call themselves Christians, but whose lives prove otherwise. Who do you know ho bears good fruit? How do you know this? What could you do to ensure you are known as someone who bears fruit, and gives life? “You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it and it took root and filled the land.”- Psalm 80:9
During the first year of our marriage, my husband and I planted some fruits and vegetables in our garden. We bought the supplies, tilled the soil and prepared it for growth. Since the garden inhabited half of our backyard, we planted enough seeds to occupy every inch. Soon we had hundreds of luscious cucumbers, mouth-watering tomatoes and brilliant looking squash. It took some hard work pulling weeds, watering the soil and planting the seeds, but in no time we reaped the benefits of our labor. Since we were inexperienced in the area of gardening, we never realized putting seeds in every inch of the garden would yield such a huge crop! We had a nine-month supply of produce. By the time we could get through the crop, most of it had rotted, rendering it useless. It is the same in our walk with the Lord. We cannot expect to become mature Christians without lots of hard work. Daily watering the seeds in our hearts with the reading of the word, constant communication with our father, and pausing to listen to what He is whispering to our hearts are just a couple of ways we prepare our soil for growth. If we commit to the practice of spiritual formation, we will soon reap a harvest that pleases our Father. However, if we don’t do the hard work required to becoming a disciple, we will waste the God given talents and gifts, rendering us ineffective to give God the glory He is due. Lord, help us to do the hard work that reaps a harvest of maturity and commitment to you. "That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers." Psalm 1:3
Saturday is leftover day in my house. I, not wanting to be wasteful, try to use up the recently cooked food in the hopes we minimize what little we have to throw away at the end of the week. The rest of my family, however, want to eat only freshly cooked food, throwing out the leftovers because they are subpar to the freshness that comes with food cooked for the first time. God wants us to do well. He's given us everything we need to prosper under his rule-- the life giving water of His presence, the ability to allow our work to produce and replicate itself so it may live on after we die, and the gift of being attached to the vine so we may never have to feel like we are alone. I know I have all of these resources at my fingertips, yet I often put that aside because the deceit of a busy life gets in the way. I often make excuses like "I won't have time to get everything done," or "I'll get to it later. Yet, I don't give God my best. Instead I give him my leftovers, knowing it is subpar to the first moments of my day after I first wake up. The person David describes in Psalms does not give God leftovers. this is a person constantly drinking from that nearby stream, allowing that water to transfer to the vine to which he is constantly attached. This person ever has to worry if he is doing his best or if his work is making a difference i other's lives. He is confident that if he keeps caring not only for himself but also for the soil on which he is planted, his branches will always yield fruit in season. Do you give the first fruits of your day, or your life, or do you give God your leftovers? “How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)”- Numbers 13:20
Jesus, in the New Testament, makes many references to trees, soil and growth. I don’t think this is a mistake. Jesus judges growth not by how many times you attend church (although not attending church is a symptom of a much bigger problem) or how many ministries you serve in. Those actions stem from what’s inside the heart, which should be producing fruit of a different kind: love, joy, pace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. Soil can’t do its job of producing if it has nothing to produce. Seeds can’t produce what’s inside if it doesn’t get placed in an environment that allows it to grow. Both are needed for growth; you can’t have one without the other. Soil is good when it has a tree to grow. It’s poor when it produces nothing. So it is with us. If you can’t remember the last time you went to church, or when the bible on your shelf has only been used to wipe the dust off of it, chances are your soil is poor. Jesus wants us to use what we have been given. If he has planted seeds of gifts and talents made to accomplish His work of ushering in the kingdom of God, then the question is: How is your soil? Is it good, with seeds in it so it can be used to produce? Is it poor, dry to the bone with no seeds anywhere in sight? “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:
You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.”- Deuteronomy 28:1-4 Have you ever felt like God was calling you to do something, but weren’t quite sure if it was from you or God? Did you follow it or did you ignore it? How did you feel when you did what God asked? How did you feel when you ignored it? There is great blessing when we follow God’s commands. However, they may be difficult to discern at times. Sometimes thoughts go through my mind and I don’t now if God is speaking, or if it just a fleeting thought. According to this, if we fully obey God, we will be blessed. But how do we know when to obey, or when to ignore? The apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” The bible also says we must test every prophecy against Scripture. So the next time you feel God is speaking to you, ask yourself these questions: Is it true? Is it noble? Is it right? Is it pure? Is it lovely? Is it admirable (excellent or praiseworthy)? If you still are not sure if what you are hearing is from God after asking yourself these questions, do it anyway. It is better to act and have God reward you for blind obedience, then to ignore it and be cursed because of disobedience. Do you act in obedience when you believe you are hearing from go, or do you ignore such things? I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land- Deuteronomy 26:4-5
Rain has just as much an important role in yielding a crop as the seed, soil and the plant itself. The rain is what gives the plant its life giving (and life sustaining) water it needs. It is the same with our bodies. We need to constantly refill our bodies with water do it does not become depleted. Water plays several important functions in our bodies. According to www.webmd.com, water plays helps the body in at least six different ways: “Drinking Water Helps Maintain the Balance of Body Fluids Water Can Help Control Calories Water Helps Energize Muscles Water Helps Keep Skin Looking Good Water Helps Your Kidneys Water Helps Maintain Normal Bowel Function.” Without water, the body becomes out of balance. Without water, our souls become out of balance, too. All crops with no water whither and eventually die. So why would we think we can live life without the water of prayer and the Word? I know of no one who has a vibrant faith that is not connecting to God on a regular basis. If you want to have a vibrant faith, what are you doing to water your crop? Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”- Genesis 1:29
Seeds are odd things. Normally white (although they can come in different colors) seeds contain within them everything they need to bear whatever fruit lies within them. From huge watermelons to tiny flowers, only when you water and care for them does the growth take place. You won’t know simply by looking at them what they will produce, but if you tend to them with intentionality, they bear something life-giving, that, when eaten, gives life to all. You also have the capacity to grow and achieve our purpose in God’s kingdom. You may not see it from the outside, but on the inside God has planted within you natural talents as well as God given gifts, everything to give life b helping al those you encounter. I love that from the beginning God gave man the formula to good health: by eating foods with seeds. Why? Because every food has been naturally grown in the ground. Those natural foods are what our bodies need to give it the life giving nutrients it needs. Just like in Genesis, everything begins with a seed. Food began with a seed that grew into a plant. We all began with the seed of our father and mother. Seeds can grow pumpkins big enough for several people to eat and enjoy, or it can produce a small flower, to bring beauty to a broken world. No seed that is cultivated goes without growth. What can you do to cultivate the seeds of gifts and talents God has planted inside of you? God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.- Genesis 1:28
Being fruitful always means increasing in some way. For some, that means increasing in number. For example, someone who is fruitful with money may increase the wealth they already have through wise choices like investments, savings, and spending it to help others. For churches, multiplying means different things as well. Some churches focus solely on increasing their attendance to the point where they can multiply the amount of services they offer or amount of ministries to their people. For others, they focus on the growth that takes place inside. Are they people who exhibit righteous living such as more fruits of the spirit as explained in Galatians 5? Leaders may define growth as how many ministries are running in the church. But God defines growth this way: If you are bearing fruit in some way, God will multiply your efforts. Think for a moment about the ways in which you spend your time. Do you spend the majority of your time in selfish pursuits, or in ways that give life to others? Adam and Eve had a specific role: to tend to the garden in such a way it would produce growth. But they had to water, weed and turn the soil in a way where growth could happen. They didn’t stand around watching it grow; they worked to make sure that happened. Where are you in your growth? Do you stand idly by while Satan places weeds in your garden or do you fill your mind and hart with tings that will help you be fruitful? Has God been multiplying your efforts as a result? Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good”- Genesis 1:11-12
I love to- do lists. Being a type-A, goal oriented person, I always make a plan—for my day, for my career, for my life. I often make more than one plan as well, in case things don’t go as planned. What I love more than making to-do lists, is being able to check off each item on the list. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment when I can check off items on my list. Coming from a hard working home, hard work was not only emphasized, but rewarded. If grades were not as good as they can be, or if I was found slacking off, I was told to find something to do. So work became a part of my identity. Work was a part of paradise, too. Work is a good thing, according to God. God created a garden, that in it produced various types of vegetation that would not only feed Adam and Eve but every living creature that lived there. Production is a good thing. However if it is used as a badge of honor and a way to define yourself rather than to find your God given purpose, than work is being done for the wrong reason. Just as you have to work to make a living, you have to work to grow in your walk with God. Adam and Eve had to work the garden to make it grow, and you have to work the garden God has given you, too. Thee are many types of vegetation in this garden that will help you to produce: reading God’s word, prayer, other Christians, spiritual disciplines, etc. Some may be more difficult to do than others, but if done with diligence and intentionality, they can produce a crop bigger than you can ever imagine. What is growing in your garden? Are you doing all you can to ensure your garden is growing strong? |
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