so over the past couple of weeks, ministry in ukraine involved working in gardens. it was sweet because lately, every time i read the Word, anything that has to do with fruit, trees, roots, plants & the like stands out to me. i.e. psalms 1, john 15, ephesians 3:17, isaiah 61 & so on.
there's something so sweet about this idea of being a tree. i mean, i think about it all the time. basically, if i could have one superpower, it would be to become a tree :)! how awesome would it be if you were planted in the house of God, drinking in living water, being rooted in His love, bearing sweet fruit in due season & all the while, living in the place His glory dwells?! but wait, that is who we are as sons & daughters! we are able and invited to enter the throne room & sit at His feet! praise God. how privileged are we?!
ok, so i've always kind of envied people who have a gift of gardening. i talk all the time about how i want my (non-existent) garden to be full of veggies & fruits & flowers & beans & herbs!! my imaginary garden looks beautiful, is plentiful, abounding in such delicious crops. i would take such delight in the reaping of this bountiful harvest! just thinking about how satisfying it would be to actually taste the fruit of my labor…so cool! maybe one day this will be a reality 🙂
this causes me to recall all of the people i know with gardens. most of them take such great care & have such sweet love for their plants. seeing the way people tend, toil & work on their land is challenging. it takes many laborious hours, days & sometimes patient years to really see seeds grow & become established.
so. thinking about gardeners…how much more is God this way with us, the earth, His creation?
how much more does He care for us?
how patient must He be, tending our hearts, weeding our souls, preparing & consistently tending our soil for more of the fullness of His very Spirit.
He takes such great care of us.
He takes such delight in the fruits of His Spirit, manifested in us.
Jesus, the vine. We, the ingrafted branches. the Spirit, our fruit. God, the gardener. (john 15, romans 11)
how beautiful is this??
how incredible is this picture of life in Christ?
my goodness.
we are united with Jesus, grafted in by the hands of the loving Gardener, being made ready to grow, flourish, abundantly producing the life He has planted within us, the life of Jesus.
simply astounding
and how beautiful is this.
the beginning of life started in a garden.
& the beginning of all of the fullness of life started in a garden with an empty tomb & risen Savior.`
!!!!!
too good.
there is only life now.
death is defeated.
i am alive to Christ
to life.
abundantly.
forever.
