Fruitful Gardens
Writer Author Rita Sue Hanks
Christian Article
:
Inspirational
- Fiction No
My thoughts of late have been on the scriptural concept of sowing, watering, and harvesting as we hear of often in bible teachings and which Paul spoke of here....
1 Corinthians 3:6-7
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
So then neither is he that plants any thing, neither he that waters; but God that gives the increase.
Paul speaks of planting, as a man would plant a garden. Very often in scripture God refers to gardening. I think everyone who has any love for God's word has a basic understanding of sowing and reaping. The seed of faith is sown, it is watered by love and tender care and then it grows into a mature plant which bears fruit, and the fruit is harvested.
I once had a strong love for gardening and learned quite a bit about the labor required and the pleasure of the reward at harvest time. It is very hard work but the dedicated gardener loves and spends all the winter season planning for the spring season when the hard work can begin. We begin our garden by preparing the ground to receive the seed and then we sow seed and follow through with all the necessary steps required to make it productive. We keep it weeded, trust God for ample rains and sunshine and watch carefully for seedlings to become productive fruit bearing plants. Then finally, we enjoy the fruit!
In Christianity, our hearts and lives are a garden from which we will reap whatever is sown. We desire to plant good godly gardens and to reap the fruit of the spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. But, common sense alone will tell us that fruit will not come unless the gardener has learned the necessary skills and has been faithful to keep his priorities in order. In the natural garden, no man can expect fruit who has never learned how to plant and care for his garden. In all created things, God has an order to be observed in order to achieve success. There is always a right seed, a right way, a right time and a right season for every step of the process. A very wise word about the order required to produce a fruitful garden is found in God's word....
Isaiah 28:23-29
Listen to me now.
Give me your closest attention.
Do farmers plow and plow and do nothing but plow?
Or harrow and harrow and do nothing but harrow?
After they've prepared the ground, don't they plant?
Don't they scatter dill and spread cumin,
Plant wheat and barley in the fields
and raspberries along the borders?
They know exactly what to do and when to do it.
Their God is their teacher.
And at the harvest, the delicate herbs and spices,
the dill and cumin, are treated delicately.
On the other hand, wheat is threshed and milled, but still not endlessly.
The farmer knows how to treat each kind of grain.
He's learned it all from God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
who knows everything about when and how and where.
We can easily observe that there is a proper order to be observed in farming and gardening.There is a when how and where. We see that the farmer's skills which produce food for the tables of the world are God given. Unless the husbandman who expects the harvest apply his God given skills and priorities in their right seasons the world would all go hungry.
The same applies to our spiritual garden. There is a God given skill, taught by the counselor, the indwelling Holy Spirit. He is the vine planted in the earth by our Father God from which all spiritual fruit is conceived, nurtured, grows and is harvested. We are taught by Jesus that if we abide in the vine we will be productive.....
John 15:4-5
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
So we see that if we consistently fail to apply order we will consistently fail to enjoy a harvest. We will be frustrated in our efforts to produce the fruit of the spirit. Though we may be planting a few seeds, we have not set our priorities aright. We have not learned the abiding. We have failed to fully seek the skill of the counselor to ensure good success. Therefore we are seeing no real fruit.
How can we correct this dilemna? The solution is to turn. Just to turn from the way we have been operating and seek the Master Gardener in prayer. Asking his wisdom delights him! He will accept our desire to do better and will guide us in the new and right way. He will speak the right time and season wisdom to our hearts and set our feet on anew and productive path. By our surrender to abiding in the vine we will delight in him and seek to enjoy the life flow which comes from heaven through him. He will be faithful to help us to get our priorities into his kingdom order. He is wisdom, gentleness, love and patience waiting to show all who seek him in sincerity his more abundant life so that we may daily rejoice with him as we delight in our rich and abundant harvests!
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About the Writer Author
State:
Texas
Country:
USA
Email:
ritahanks@sbcglobal.net
Website:
www.facebook.com/rita.hanks
Profile:
Click here!
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