What is your garden's harvest?

When I weed in the garden, it is a time of peaceful reflection for me. The other evening as I was out there pulling that resilient grass, I began to see how many things in my garden remind me of the relationship between God and man.

Two vital things that all plants need are food and water. They have to have those two things in order to thrive. God has provided the two things we need for our growth and development: His Word and the Holy Spirit. He illustrates this in the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, in Acts 8:26-40. After the conversion of the eunuch, God supernaturally removed Phillip and left the eunuch with His Word and the Holy Spirit. It tells in verse 39 that the eunuch went away rejoicing. How often do we complain and blame others for our lack of knowledge and understanding of the scriptures, when we are the ones responsible for taking the time to open His Word and ask for wisdom and understanding?

It is also vital that a plant is rooted in fertile soil. When I was weeding, it was really quite easy to pull the weeds up, as the soil was soft. If it had been hard packed clay, it would have been extremely difficult to remove them. Part of what has kept my garden's soil soft and fertile is the mulch I laid down. The mulch works like a filter, much like the Holy Spirit. The mulch allows the water to reach the soil, but keeps out the weeds. The Holy Spirit works in a similar fashion. It allows the nourishment of God's word to feed our souls, while helping us discern sin. The Holy Spirit protects us from a great deal of sin, by the means of our conscience, and when sin does take root, it's much easier to pluck out when the soil is fertile, like the weed. There will be some sin that keeps trying to get a firm grip, like those pesky weeds. But if the soil is fertile and the gardener(me) is diligent in self-examination, it will eventually be plucked out.

As we can see, weeding and tending the garden is vital for the health and growth of your plants. Spiritual weeding and tending are just as vital. The only way we are going to know that difference between the weeds and the desirable plants is by spending time in God's word and in prayer.

The purpose of a plant, from its perspective, is to reproduce. Everything it's doing is working towards that goal. Whether it produces a flower or fruit, it is trying to multiply itself by making a seed. In our walk with God, that should be our primary goal also. We should be striving to cast as many seeds as possible. You can cast seeds by handing out tracts, witnessing one to one, or open air preaching. The important thing is that you cast your seed. It is estimated that only 2% of professing Christians share their faith. That means the other 98% are like ornamental pear trees-they look real good, but aren't producing anything.

What condition is your Spiritual garden in? Do you have weeds taking over, or are your plants producing wonderful seeds?

If you are unsure how to share your faith Biblically go to GNN Katy or Way of the Master to find out more.