“And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” Isaiah 58:11
I haven’t had a garden for a couple of years, but this year I decided to get back into it. My first challenge was ridding the plots of weeds! They have been enjoying the fertile ground for a couple of years, and now I had the not-too-enjoyable task of pulling them out in order to prepare the soil for planting. Not the most fun part of gardening, but definitely vital to a successful harvest in the future.
My next task was making sure the soil would support my plants. To do this, I had to add nutrients back into the soil since the weeds had pretty much depleted my plots of anything that would provide any kind of nourishment for my plants. Mixing and turning over soil is another one of those not-much-fun tasks that must be done to guarantee the healthy growth of my future vegetables. Once this was finally finished, it was time to plant.
I dug the holes, planted both seeds and seedlings, and thoroughly watered them. Time to sit back and wait for my bounty? No, not at all! In order for my garden to grow, I have to water the seeds and plants daily, inspect for new weeds encroaching on my young sprouts, pull those unwanted weeds out and discard them. This is an ongoing responsibility for me. If I forget to water, my plants begin to wilt. If I forget to weed, they threaten to take over my plots. It is a never-ending battle, but my persistence will pay off because I know what the future holds.
My vegetable garden is a lot like my spiritual life. Prior to my salvation… the time when I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ… I was like the weed-covered plots of my garden. The weeds were analogous to the sin that was in my life. 1 John 1:8 states, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Those weeds had to be removed before I could begin to live. That was accomplished by the work of Jesus through His death, burial, and resurrection. When I accepted His forgiveness of my sins and trusted Him as my Saviour, the weeds of sin were pulled out! “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Next, my life had to be prepared in order for me to grow. Like the nutrients I added to my garden to make the soil rich and fertile, the Word of God has to be cultivated in my heart and life to enable me to grow in my faith. 2 Timothy 2:15 states, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
The more I study the Scriptures, the deeper and richer my relationship with God becomes. However, as I start to “sprout” spiritually, the weeds of sin begin to creep in, threatening to destroy my Christian growth. How do I combat this? By daily watering my life with prayer, studying my Bible, and fellowshiping with other believers. Through these activities, the sinful weeds of the world are pulled out and discarded, but if I forget to “water” my spiritual garden every day, the weeds of sin will quickly overtake me! I will begin to wilt in my faith, and I will yield no spiritual fruit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). I must be faithful to tend my spiritual garden just as I must be faithful in caring for my vegetable garden.
Eventually, both gardens will yield their harvest. One will provide a bounty of vegetables, while the other will provide a harvest of souls. Romans 6:22 promises, “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” As I serve God with my life, He may use me to plants seeds or water them or to help pull weeds. Whatever task He gives me, I am excited about what the future will bring for I know there will be a magnificent harvest!
I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
(from “In the Garden” by Charles A. Miles)
“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” – Matthew 9:38
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How will the harvest be that will come forth from your garden?