Dying to Live

 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. John 12:24

The garden is coming along nicely. I love seeing the little sprouts coming through the soil. Peas are blooming, beans and cucumbers are climbing, tiny tomatoes are forming green. In a couple of weeks, I’m going to need help harvesting and canning all these delicious, organic veggies. I’m wondering who I can enlist to help.

I think it’s amazing how a little seed contains all the DNA to create a huge plant or even a tree but that little seed has to die for the plant to live. The plant puts down roots to draw nutrients from the soil as it pushes the tiny leaves up through the soil to the sky. You say, sure I know all that, but have you thought about how we as Christians must be just like that plant. When we asked Jesus for forgiveness, we die to our old way of life and begin a new life. To grow, we must be rooted in God’s word and built up in the faith (Col.2:7). The little plants in my garden are soaking up nutrients from the soil through their roots. Their little leaves emerge folded as if in prayer, opening up toward heaven. If any part of the process fails the plant will wither and die. If we fail to study and pray, our testimonies will fail and we will bear no fruit.

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The plant that thrives produces flowers, then fruit. A Christian who thrives blossoms into a strong Christian who wins souls. If each of us follows through with God’s plan for us to be fruitful Christians, think of how the world would change, beginning with our own families.

Speaking of beginning, how about today? Have you spent time in God’s Word? Have you prayed to know God’s will?  

HEY KIDS: If you would like to see how a seed grows, soak several lima beans overnight. The coat on the seed will be wrinkled and easy to remove.

1.       Remove the skin from one seed.

2.       Carefully open the seed.

3.       On one half of the open seed you will find a tiny root and a tiny set of white leaves. Use a magnifying glass to get a closer look.

4.       Place the remaining seeds with the coat still attached on a damp paper towel.

5.       Place the towel inside a ziplock bag and place the bag in a sunny window.

6.       Check the bag every day to see the seed dissolving as the plant emerges.

7.       Remove the paper towel with the emerging plants from the bag and place in the garden or a pot of soil.

8.       Keep watching to see your plant flower and produce fruit.

I’d love to read your observations. Photos would be cool too. Won’t you post them in the comment section as your plants grow? Please share how you are growing in the Lord as well.

                                                                                                                 

My Weedy Garden

 

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. Malachi 4:2

 

With school coming to an end and conferences to attend, my garden is left unattended. The weeds are taking over, especially in the areas where the plants are the smallest. Some I can take out with what I call my wiggle waggle hoe. The rest I’ll have to plow under and start again. A good excuse didn’t stop the weeds from growing. If I had taken time to just give the garden a few minutes attention each day, it wouldn’t be in such a mess today.

Our spiritual lives can be just like my garden, full of things that hinder our growth and testimony. All our “reasonable” excuses don’t stop us from growing spiritually weak. If we take time each day to read God’s Word and pray it will prevent a lot of spiritual weeds. Daily prayer and personal Bible study is important but, there’s more to your spiritual garden than just you.

My garden has many plants. Some are smaller and more tender. That's where the weeds grow the thickest. As a child, I remember Mom and Dad, reading the Bible to us and praying with us. I remember spending the night with Grandma and kneeling with her by the bed for nightly prayers. The examples of my parents and grandparents helped me know I could go to them with questions when I didn’t understand God’s plan. Family alter set the tone for our home. No, it wasn’t perfect by any means but, the positive godly expectations kept us on track even through the teen years. Our families will grow spiritually strong and flourish if we make time for family alter.

I wonder what changes our families, our nation and the world would experience if we who name the name of Christ weeded our spiritual gardens, pulling out the things that hinder our relationship with God and our families and making room for those things that set the tone for eternal blessings.

Blessings, 

Gail 

Free as a Bird

 

When I drove into my carport the other day, I found what appeared to be a flicker bird “trapped”. She flapped and beat against the windows and the chimney and the walls. Around and around she flew exhausting herself, then lighting on a window sill or the brick chimney to rest. I went in to get a broom hoping the flicker bird would light on it and I could carry her out to the open air. It worked for humming birds.

It didn’t work for flickers. She flapped and beat even harder and opened her beak to breathe as I reached the broom out for her to land. She headed for the chimney as I raised it to block her way, again hoping she might yet land on it. After a few more blocks she flew lower to escape the broom. This time she found the one opening to fly to freedom. She headed into the wide open space of the neighbors’ yard, then made a hard turn to the huge magnolia tree. I turned to take the broom inside.

We have all found ourselves trapped by the sin of bad choices. We run around crazy, beating ourselves up, doing all we know to do to save ourselves, unwilling to take the one way of salvation Jesus offers us. It’s not until we reach that point of knowing we have nowhere else to go that we go in His direction.

If you have not yet repented of your sins and allowed Jesus to do the saving, today can be the day you are set free. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me. (John 14:6KJV)

Deception - There's a Roaring Lion in My Garden

On my way down to the garden, I spied what appeared to be an empty cocoon lying on the ground under the oak tree. When I picked it up, I realized it was the empty egg sac of a praying mantis. It reminded me of an empty tomb, full of death. The Carolina Mantis is a native to my state. It’s also the official state insect. No wonder, because here in the Bible belt, if it has to do with religion we are all about that! A lot of folks like the idea of God creating a bug that demonstrates prayer.  Exactly my point - all about anything that appears to be religious. Even the name mantis has a religious connotation. Mantis comes from the Greek, “mantikos” meaning soothsayer or prophet. How wonderful to have a praying prophet in my garden or is it?

The praying mantis appears to fold its hands in prayer as if asking grace or the blessing as we say down South. But in truth, the praying mantis is lying in wait for some unsuspecting prey. He has long spikes attached to those praying hands that will hold any insect, good or bad, tightly in its grip while it chows down on the live bug. The praying mantis does not care if the bug is good or bad. He may be camouflaged near a flower, waiting to snatch a native bee whose only job is to pollinate and make honey for its hive and for us. He may be waiting on that potato bug that’s chomping on your crop, either way, the mantis just wants something else to devour. It will even eat other mantis if any are around.  After its meal, it uses those strong arms to wash its face, cleaning itself of the deadly deed.

 A praying mantis can turn its head 180 degrees. If someone tries to sneak up on it, it turns its head and looks straight at them, as if daring them to try anything. His sharp mandibles (his chompers) can even cut human skin.

I’m really not afraid of the praying mantis in my garden, but I am watchful for Satan’s emissaries who appear to be religious, maybe even appearing to be an angel from heaven (Galatians 1:8). God’s purpose for His creation is for us to learn from it. Jesus tells us to “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves.” Matthew 7:15. A few verses later He tells us how to know the difference. We have to become fruit inspectors. Do we know God’s Word well enough to know the difference in the truth and a lie that just sounds good?

This week let us all “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” I Peter 5:8

Blessings,

Gail