As I was pulling more dandelions it occurred to me that God is a bit like a gardener or farmer
and that He has planted me, right here and right now, generously providing everything I need to grow, to be strong and to bloom gloriously.
In his garden he puts all sorts of trees and plants for various reasons and only expects that they would respond to the care He gives to become fruitful and beautiful. As I grow I can not get puffed up with pride about my own beauty or compare it to the appearance of other trees or shrubs in this garden, nor can I take much time with worrying about why there are so many weeds around me.
In the parable of the wheat and the tares Jesus helped us see that the world is full of good and evil and that at the appropriate time God will sort out who is each, and deal with it, once and for all.
I am blessed that I see growth in my own life and in that of others around me. I wait patiently for the King of the garden to bring it into full mid summer glory, and I do not worry about telling Him how His garden should be. It is good to be alive in the spirit and to feel the grace and mercy of a loving Father rain down upon me like soft summer showers with just the right hint of 'Miracle grow' mixed in.
For more on Jesus explanation of this parable see CHESTER STREET
or just do your own search of Matthew 13 or google "wheat and tares" like I did.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
6 comments:
Blessed Sunday and thanks for the vis to WHT!:)
Thank you, David..well said.
I suggest you get a book..
http://www.amazon.com/Inheriting-Paradise-Meditations-Vigen-Guroian/dp/0802845886/sr=1-1/qid=1164424210/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-3542950-8582024?ie=UTF8&s=books
I got it for pennies, used......it's about gardening and Christian faith...just read it and gave it to Mom for Mother's Day.
I'm Armenian and I have to admit it deals some with the Armenian liturgy, but it's something all people of faith with gardens would be touched and inspired by!
thanks for coming by...blessed Sunday to you! Enjoy your garden...metaphorical and real.
in a review, I found this:
Gardens are central to the lives of people in every conceivable walk of life. Gardening is an activity many do not just because it is pleasing to the senses or good for the body but also because it feeds the soul. In this collection of uplifting meditations, theologian Vigen Guroian uses his love for gardening as a compelling entry into Christian spirituality. Finding in the garden our most concrete connection with life and God's gracious giving, Guroian takes up his spade and hoe and reveals the likeness of faithful living in the tilling of soil, the patience of prayer in the sowing of seeds and the nurturing of plants. Blending the sacramental with the natural, the church cycle with the cycles of the growing season, these meditations speak to God's intimate relationship with his creation and with his people. Whether read for its passionate insights into gardening or for its spiritual reflections on the Christian life, Inheriting Paradise will be a book to treasure.
Thank you, Z
The Lord Jesus said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5.)
Abide means to, wait, stay, and remain; to reside; to continue to be; to remain with, true to.
Many miss the mark of truly abiding in Christ and bearing fruit because they abide in so many worldly things and cares, and of course, allowing such things to abide in them.
God is a master gardener, and may we be good ground, "which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15.)
Thank you for sharing these thoughts. It is wonderful that God allows us to tend his garden! :)
The Word is full of farming analogies. The vine and the branches too.
Pray you are doing good.
I am slowly catching up with my blog friends
Post a Comment