Messy Relationships, Blog 13: Tending to the Garden of your Heart
The Bible tells us that creation displays the glory of God to the world (Psalm 19:1 and Romans 1:20).
His glory is shown in the heavens, the oceans, the mountains, every beautiful thing that grows up out of the ground, every color that blooms, and through His church.
I enjoy growing things and I admit that I’m sometimes guilty of pride when I harvest something good that I’ve grown. But truthfully, I don’t make anything happen. I simply tend, feed and water the garden and then watch God’s miracle of life occur.
To me gardening is not a chore, it’s a joy. I never care for my garden grudgingly or as an obligation. I do it because I love the process and I anticipate the outcome. Although a garden requires diligent effort and dedication, there is joy in the daily work, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables to eat and to share with others.
Jesus spoke about our lives in Him being like a garden in John 15:1-9
In these familiar verses He talks about fruit production, but take note, Jesus never called us to manufacture anything by the efforts of our flesh, He called us to abide in Him. As fruit is the natural result of the branch’s relationship with the vine, spiritual fruit is the result of a healthy relationship with Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, Jesus told us in John 15:4 that if we aren’t abiding in Him, we cannot bear fruit. He said apart from Him we can do nothing. No branch that is severed from the vine, no matter how hard it strives, can push out fruit by its own efforts. Instead, it will wither and die. Thankfully however, Jesus promised that if a branch abides in the vine, it will not only live, but it will also bear much fruit!
Our relationship with God grows as we speak to Him in prayer and listen to Him speak to us through the Word of God. The more we commune with Christ the more beauty we will find in His character, and the more beauty we discover the more we will desire to worship and commune with Him again each day.
I hope to encourage you in three ways:
1. Abide in Christ daily, through consistent prayer and diligent personal Bible study. Like eating and drinking are to the body, the purpose of these disciplines is to give us life. We cannot live without them. If you are struggling and striving to produce something in your spiritual life, stop! Get back to the basics and begin again to feed and water your soul every day.
2. Like a gardener, labor in hope for the fruit that is being produced in you. Find joy in daily fellowship with Jesus Christ knowing that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. Tend to your garden faithfully, not grudgingly but with eager expectation!
3. Remind yourself that the purpose of the fruit is to shine God’s glory to others. It’s not just about you. The fruit He produces (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control) gives the world a taste of the sweetness of Christ displayed in our lives. “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:8)
May the Lord shine His glory through you as He produces much fruit in your life as you abide in Christ.
Danny Young, Elder