Author: Pastor Andrew
I know as much about gardening as a toddler about the moon landing. But I know two basic rules: Firstly, water your plants. Secondly, pull out the weeds. That’s the extent of my knowledge!
Here’s where I’m going with this. Your relationship with God is like a garden. You should plant healthy seeds, water them with Scripture, serve others, and develop Jesus-like character. You also have to be intentional about pulling weeds, guarding your heart against the evil one, by getting rid of distractions or anything that blocks God’s love from getting to your heart.
Today, let’s talk about the planting and watering. Tomorrow, we’ll talk about weed.
Planting and watering the garden of your soul is a cyclical process. If you do it right, you are constantly planting it and watering, planting and watering until, one day, you are able to look back and see a flourishing tapestry of life. Here are three ways you can become the kind of person who plants good, spiritual seeds and sustains them with life-giving water:
By reading the Bible: Download the Youversion App and follow one of their reading plans. Or, if you’d read from a traditional Bible, start with the book of John and keep going. Read a Chapter at a time and write down your answers to two questions: What did I learn about God? How can I apply it to my life?
Serve: Whether you’re a Christian or not, you know that helping someone makes you feel good. God has created us with the innate desire to be kind to other people. So, after you get a handle on reading your Bible regularly, water your garden by serving in your local church or a non-profit in your community.
You should develop character – Put yourself in situations that make you uncomfortable and stretch you into a better person. Maybe you don’t typically talk to someone who looks different than you. If so, take some time to grab coffee with someone from other background. Or, maybe you need to go on a mission trip with your church. Whatever it is, put yourself in situations that force you to become more like Jesus.
Start by taking baby steps. You decide what step you can take to begin planting good seeds and watering them with healthy, spiritual food.
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”(2 Peter 3:18)
