Did you know God is the master gardener? “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). He provided seed bearing plants (Genesis 1:29) and planted the Garden of Eden. God formed a man, Adam, from the dust of the earth and placed him in the garden (Genesis 2:8).
Psalm 104:16 envisions God as a gardener, planting and caring for the cedars of Lebanon. He leads and satisfies us as a watered garden (Isaiah 58:11). Until Mary Magdalene heard Jesus speak in the garden of Gethsemane after His resurrection, she mistook Him for the gardener.
I love to garden and it all began many months ago with planting, the beginning of the adventure. After germination, I fertilize and water, anticipating the reward of the harvest, which is happening now. During the growing season, trees and bushes that are left without pruning can become overgrown and ineffective.
Many are familiar with the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:1-12, Mark 4:1-20 and Luke 8:1-15. Just as I plant in my garden, I sow seeds with people as I speak about Jesus and the miraculous experiences I have had walking beside Him. Believers scatter seeds of faith to reap a harvest, showing forth the beauty of Christ.
I have learned that it is not my responsibility to bring those seeds to fruition. God will send others to do that. He is the one who gives the increase or makes things grow (1 Corinthians 3:6-11).
Jesus is the true vine, God is the gardener and we are the branches (John 15:1-5). He will trim, pinch back and remove old, dead, non-productive “wood” as he designs us to be more like Him.
It is done for our benefit with discipline and love. It may be unpleasant to acknowledge the dead and unproductive areas in our lives, but removing the branches that bear no fruit will allow the remaining branches to be more vigorous.
We can trust God to do this. The purpose of pruning is to revitalize and encourage growth. The result of all this labor is a fruitful, effective garden.
God commanded his people to bring the first fruits to the house of the LORD (Exodus 23:19). The Hebrew word for first fruits, bikkurim, translates to “promise to come.” Israelites saw first fruits as an investment in their future. They were told to celebrate the Festival of Harvest with their first fruits (Exodus 23:16). Ezekiel 44:30 speaks to the contribution of these to receive
blessings from God.
Every good deed pleases my Father (Colossians 3:17). Bearing fruit, abiding in Him, expresses my joy and thanks for God’s goodness.
There are four passages in Proverbs (3:18, 11:30, 14:12, 15:4) and Revelation 2:7 that say Jesus is the tree of life. In the last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22, we see our “tree of life” as a gardener, again, creating the “new” Garden of Eden.
Can I plant seeds in your life and introduce you to this master gardener? Please email me… fr*********@gm***.com
I close, in the fruit of the spirit given to all believers: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control (Galatians 5:22-23).
