Genesis 2:8
"Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed."
"Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed."
I love a garden. I like to see the fruit of my labor and I enjoy eating. I think I inherited that, from both my biological Italian father and my Father God. They both talked a lot about gardening and neither were afraid of getting into a mess, to make something beautiful.
When God comes into a life, He knows that in order to make a beautiful heart, there will be some digging to do for sure, and the removal of what is hard--that will hinder the word from taking root. Then, our Father knows daily watering and watching, will ensure that no blight or insects, worm or drought, will kill His new seedlings. As I watch over my own lil garden I learn so much. Some enemies are much harder to kill. For example, this year I am fighting Japanese Beetles. I have to be so diligent with these pesty critters. They are hard to kill, sneaky, and keep coming back. They return for the kill and go for the flowers.
When God comes into a life, He knows that in order to make a beautiful heart, there will be some digging to do for sure, and the removal of what is hard--that will hinder the word from taking root. Then, our Father knows daily watering and watching, will ensure that no blight or insects, worm or drought, will kill His new seedlings. As I watch over my own lil garden I learn so much. Some enemies are much harder to kill. For example, this year I am fighting Japanese Beetles. I have to be so diligent with these pesty critters. They are hard to kill, sneaky, and keep coming back. They return for the kill and go for the flowers.
Why do these devouring lil creatures go for the flower? They know that is where the fruit will be. Much like these beetles, satan wants to gobble up the fruit in our lives.
Satan can come in many disguises. He can come as offense, unforgiveness, jealousy, bitterness, envy, murder, drunkenness--but know this he is after the fruit in your life. He wants to destroy our witness. (Matthew 7:16)
ACTION STEP: So back to my Basil. Why do I grow it? It has many healing properties and it is disease resistant. Sometimes it is referred to as "Holy" Basil. We need not, to just keep pests away--but grow things in our lives like love, patience, kindness, long-suffering just to name a few. (Galatians 5:22-23) I have never had anything eat my Basil. I can harvest it and freeze it or dry it and it is still usable. Are we still useable for God's Kingdom in a drought or rainy season of life. Can we withstand heat and cold times? Are we holy as He is holy?
So, go ahead and get your hands dirty and keep your heart clean. Don't have room for a garden? Get a little flower pot and throw some seeds in it and start watering. Let God speak to you daily as you tend to your little garden. What He started in Genesis He is going to watch over and complete until we sit at His table with Him.
So, go ahead and get your hands dirty and keep your heart clean. Don't have room for a garden? Get a little flower pot and throw some seeds in it and start watering. Let God speak to you daily as you tend to your little garden. What He started in Genesis He is going to watch over and complete until we sit at His table with Him.
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