Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that has preached to you.
(1 Peter 1:22-25)
An imperishable seed. What is the first seed planted in this prepared soil? Easy: The Word of God. The Bible describes it as imperishable. Everything else planted here may die with the seasons and be replaced with something new, but this seed will remain eternally.
“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
(Luke 6:43-45)
A tree recognized by its fruit. What else is planted here? Anything? It can be so easy to believe that the story ends here: God planted the Seed of the Word, it grows, boom! You’re a Christian now, and your Garden is complete, right?
Absolutely not! Our Gardener wants to grow in you a lush garden of many fruits with a bountiful harvest for Himself, others, and you to enjoy! He has many seeds He wishes to plant in you, and all of them are good. Hear this: our Gardener plants only good within you, which will produce only good fruit. Any evil (or less strong, sinful) fruit that is produced by remaining briars or thorn bushes that He was not allowed (not unable!) to remove when He had first plowed and prepared the land… because the land was unwilling to give them up. However, He has not given up on removing them and should the land (aka your heart) soften and release these evil fruit-bearing weeds, He will plant good fruit-bearing trees in their place.
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
(Galations 5:19-23)
Good fruits, bad fruits. These bad fruits and good fruits are identified here. However, there is STILL more God hopes and plans to plant in you.
ŞİMDİ OKUDUĞUN
He Is: Gardener (And We Are The Garden)
SpiritüelThe first in a series where we will look at His identity- who He says He is or shows Himself to be- to understand how that reveals OUR identities. First up: He is Gardener, and we are the Garden. Author: Jay (Wolfpool77)
