Tending Our Garden

I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; it’s surface was covered with nettles, and it’s stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, then your poverty will come as a robber, and your want as an armed man.”( Prov.24:30-34) What’s your garden look like? We are God’s field, we are His building(1Cor.3:9) Have you looked lately?(2Cor.13:5) Are you bearing fruit? “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”( Jn.15:2) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.”(Gal.5:22,23) “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”( Jn.15:6) Should we not take heed from this warning? From this garden comes the fruit of life and if there is no fruit in our garden, there is no life.

What is your favorite fruit, ..orange, banana, watermelon, grapes, apple, peach? I don’t know about you, but when I smell the fresh fragrance of my favorite fruit, sometimes my mouth begins to water just at the smell. But I can catch the stench of the same fruit that is rotting, and I may feel the sense of vomiting. The freshness of our love for Him is like a sweet smelling aroma that continually comes up before His Face and in His Bosom(2 Cor.2:14,15), but our lukewarmness is like a rotting stench and He will vomit us from His Mouth.(Rev.3:16) Are you tending your garden? Or has it been “a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest”? My friends, if we’re not diligent in this task, it will result in bankruptcy and starvation.

Let there be no question, we are His field and only He can give increase(1 Cor.3:7,9), but we are fellow workers with Him. There are ‘tools’ for this task. He has provided prayer, study of His Word, and fellowship. When practiced with His Guidance, “they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ… for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.”(2 Peter 1:8-10) When we are diligent and faithful to practice and use these tools, He has promised to give increase of the fruit of His Spirit in our hearts and our lives. Then we will thankfully and willingly receive His Commands and He will produce in us and through us the works of His Righteousness in our obedience by faith! If not, we produce the fruit of our own works of righteousness and when we partake of this fruit, we die, because there is no life in this fruit.