How does your garden grow?

I confess, I am not a Gardner, but I do wish to be. I have a good friend who always has lovely fruits and vegi's and her desire to grow things for her family has inspired me to want to do so for mine...So this year, I will plant some seeds and water than and pray and hope, that they grow. :)

Today as I was spending some time with the Lord, (the fact that I can freely do that is beginning to feel like such a gift to me...) and I was reading through Matthew chapter 13..

It starts like this, and love this, because it gave me a very vivid mental picture of Jesus, and what He did...

" That same day, Jesus, went out and sat by the lake..." vs 1

I don't why that hit me so hard other than the fact that I love the lake, and that I love hearing details about the Lord...it's comparable to when your dating the one you love, and you all of a sudden hear a intimate detail about what they did that day, your ears pick up and you take notice, because everything about that person is exciting to you and all they do is important.

So I like that when I heard that My Lord, sat by the lake, and where Jesus was, crowds were not to far behind, so soon Jesus's quiet moment by the lake was interrupted by crowds of fans. Longing to hear some words from Him...and of course this is why He was there, so He began to speak in parables of the crops. And what He said, spoke to my heart that is fresh from a hard week of lessons about my own obedience and my own loyalty to Father in the midst of troubled circumstances, and I was humbled...again...

"But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among the thorns, which grew up and chocked the plants..." vs6

Then Jesus goes on the explain this to His crowds who still did not understand, and He said this...

"When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes in and snatches away what was sown in his heart.." vs 19

And so, of course I began to think about my own seeds...and when I experienced sun and choking thorns what did I do? Well this is all what I have currently been learning so I found it rather "ironic" that I came to this lesson now. I lived in place where I was very shallowly rooted for quite some time...and for a time, when all was well I was fine. The sun was not to hot nor the thorns to tight or tall, and I lived in shallow place of happy for a bit. But then my friends, like in everything, the sands began to shift and things began to get uncomfortable and I realized, my faith was small for the sun beat down, and I wallowed in self pit for "how hot I was.." and I began to shrivel.

I want to be in deep deep, rich, fulfilling, life-giving soil. And the only way I am going to do this is by embedding myself in the rich soil of God's word, God's love, God's provision and plans.

And this is where my roots can grow...why you ask? Why do I want my roots to grow so deep? So that I can be the plant that is full of life, growing the biggest most beautiful flowers that show their lovely faces up to the sun to bring the most possible glory to the Father.

Not because it's pleasing to myself, (although this is where I am the most joyful) not because I'm being "big" in man's eyes...but because this is why God made me. TO grow...to move mountains...to profess His name with the most honest passion.

"But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." vs. 23b

And this of course my friends, can only be done when one immerses themselves so deeply in the rich soil of the Father so that He can give them the nourishment they need to be the plants that yield the crop the He desires them to yield. Not because it's always easy, not because it will make us live our "best life now" (by the worlds standards) but because it's what will bring the Kingdom purposes to earth, and the most glory to God. SO, this is what I want. This is what I need to be the plant that grows as The Lord desires...and this is why I stay close to His words like I do, and will continue to do...

This is why Jesus came to us, to woo us, to call to our hearts, and tell us the promises of His Father...
" I gave them the words that you gave me, and they accepted them..." John 17:8

And of course, we can still accept those very same words today as we read and experience the greatest gifts the Lord ever gave us, the word, and as we understand it by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

I am continually humbled by the fact that each day as I open the word, God speaks to me. GOD! creator of all, speaks to me! And friend, He speaks to you too...now all we need to is this...Here are your secretes to a joy filled life..listen up:

we need to number one: Seek God with all our souls, otherwise said: Know Him. Not know about Him but know Him. And the only way we do this, is by spending time in His word.

Secondly: We need to obey Him, and this means, we are obedient to His plans for us, and allowing Him to take over our hearts...be in control...follow His lead.

That's the secret to peace in our hearts. Trouble comes, waves crash, sun scorches and thorns will grown, but if we are deeply rooted in the soil of the Lord, we will have a protection around our hearts so the enemy will not accomplish what he wants to, and that is to ultimately destroy our faith and trust in God.

Don't let this happen...we are not promised perfection on earth, but we are given the chance to live this life with the most joy possible by trusting in the one who knows it all...now, doesn't that feel a little less stressful? It's not our job to make sure we are the biggest plant, it's Gods! I am only a little seed in the hands of a faithful Gardner and only him do we grow.

May we all grow in Him today.