A Fruitful Harvest: He protects

5.  He protects

In previous posts, I have talked about how the gardener has taken much care to plan, prepare, plant and provide for his plants.  Now we will look at what he does to protect them.

A proper gardener is constantly looking out for anything that will harm his plants:

~disease

      ~harsh weather

            ~insects

                   ~slugs and snails

                             ~caterpillars

                                    ~rabbits, raccoons, deer

He will cover the plants when frost is expected and provide shade from scorching heat.

He will take great care to protect from diseases like black spot, powdery mildew, rust, blight.

Insects, slugs, snails and caterpillars will be constantly trying to attack, so he must continually be on the lookout and use appropriate means to defeat them.

Rabbits, raccoon and deer love the plants, also…..they love to eat them!   So the gardener must use whatever ways he can to keep them from his beloved plants.

 One definition of a garden I found said that a garden is:  “A cultivated and protected place.”  What a beautiful picture of how God lovingly cares for us!  After He has planned, and prepared, and planted us....He will provide for us and protect us and continue to do so. 

He has given us His armor to protect us from the traps, schemes, attacks and temptations of our enemy.

Eph. 6:11  “Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 

Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

       God has given us these for our protection against the attacks of the enemy of our souls.  We are girded with His truth, covered in His righteousness, grounded by His peace.  He has given us the gift of faith  as a shield against the enemy’s arrows,  the knowledge of our salvation as our hope, and the sword  of His Word, from which the enemy must flee.

     1 Samuel 2:9  "He will protect His faithful ones”

 

 

     Psalm 121:7   The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.

 

 

     John 10:28   “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them   

                              away from Me.”

     1Thess. 5:24  “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

     2Thess 3:3     “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil

                                one.”

     Rev. 3:10   "Because you have obeyed My command to persevere, I will protect you from the 

                          great time of testing that will come upon the whole world”

 He has also given us His angels as ministers to protect us:

     Psalm 91:11 & 14 “For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go….I will rescue

                                   those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name.”

     Heb. 1:14 “…angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation."

Jesus prayed for us on the night before He was crucified: 

     John 17:11  ” Father, You have given Me Your name;
                             now protect them by the power of Your

                             name.”

We are the apple of His eye!

 We are His planting…His glory...His love! 

Just like plants in a garden, we cannot protect ourselves from the enemies who want to destroy us. 

Put your trust in Him....and Him alone!

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Proverbs 3:5-8 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.”

A Fruitful Harvest: He provides

4.  He provides

After planning, preparing and planting the gardener now provides the necessary elements for the plants to grow.  They need food and water.

Food:

Plants need food to grow strong and healthy and to produce abundantly.  Without the proper nutrients, they will be weak, sickly and stunted.  They will never reach their full potential.

In the same way, we also need spiritual food.  God’s Word is food for our spirit.  After we have been planted in Him, we need to feed on His Word so we can grow strong and healthy and bear fruit.  Without this food, we will be weak, sickly and stunted in growth.

       I Peter 2:2 “Like newborn babes, long for (crave) the pure milk   
                         of the Word, that by it you may grow in respect to
                         salvation.”

       Matthew 4:4 “Jesus answered and said, ‘It is written, ‘Man
                         shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the 
                         mouth of God.’”

      Jeremiah 15:16 “When I discovered Your words, I devoured them.  They are my joy and
                         my heart’s delight.”

      Psalm 119:97;103; 116 “O how I love Your law!  It is my meditation all the day…How
                         sweet Your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey to
                         my mouth…sustain my according to Your Word, that I may live.”

Water:

Water is essential.  Without it, the plants will wither and die. 
A deep soaking is always better than a light sprinkling.

Water is the vehicle that carries the food into the plants…it is necessary for them to absorb the nutrients.  Food and water work together to give life, health and growth.

       Psalm 1:2-3 “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in
                             His law he meditates day and night.  He  
                             will be like a tree planted by streams of
                             water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.”

Water also helps to keep the plants healthy by washing the dirt and bugs from the leaves.

      Ephesians 5:25-26 “…Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her that He 
                        might make her holy and clean by the washing of the water of the Word.”

In Israel, flowing water was called ‘living water’. It was fresh and clean and life-giving as apposed to stagnant pools that were foul and carried disease.

      Isaiah 58:11 “The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength.  You will be like a well-watered garden like and ever-flowing spring..”

      As the Master Gardener, God lovingly provides all we need to grow and flourish and bear fruit.  His Word is our food… the Holy Spirit is the water.

      John 4:14 “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the 
                        water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to
                        eternal life.”

      John 7:38-39 “He who believes in Me, as the scripture says, ‘From his innermost being
                       shall flow rivers of living water.’ This He said of the Spirit, whom those who
                       believed in Him were to receive.”

Just as water is necessary to carry the nutrients into the plant, so also the Holy Spirit is necessary to carry the Word into our hearts so we can be nourished by it.  Without the Holy Spirit to give the understanding, the scripture becomes just words on a page to us.

      I Corinthians 2:11 “No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own
                     spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.  And we
                     have received God’s Spirit so we can know the wonderful things God has   
                     freely given us.”

      John 14:26 “The Holy Spirit…will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all
                     that I said to you."

      John 16:13 & 16 “The Spirit will guide you into all truth.  He will tell whatever He 
                     hears from the Father…He will take the things that are Mine and will reveal
                     them to you.”

~~Watering early in the day gives the plants what they need to carry them through the stress of the heat later on.

~~In the same way, we are better prepared to face the challenges of our day when we have taken time to feed on the Word and have allowed the Holy Spirit to bring it into our hearts.

                  Our Master Gardener has provided everything we need to

grow and be strong and fruitful!

~~~Are you taking the time to feed on His Word and to allow the Holy Spirit to bring the understanding into your heart?

~~~Are you allowing Him to wash you, revive you and refresh you daily?

      I pray you will see the importance of feeding on and drinking in what God has provided for your spiritual life…and that you will take time out for a periodic “deep soaking”… so your roots can go deep as you grow into all He has planned for you.

        Hebrews 6:7 “Ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth useful fruit, receives a blessing from God.”

       2 Peter 3:18 “Grow in the grace, recognition, knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

     

A Fruitful Harvest : He prepares

Continuing the steps a gardener takes in making and tending a garden:

2. HE Prepares


Once the gardener has his plan, his next step is to prepare the soil.

Preparing has 2 parts:  Breaking down and Building up

In the parable of the sower, (Luke 8)  Jesus said that the soil represented our hearts and the seed was the Word of God.   Just as the soil is the foundation of the garden..so our hearts are the foundation of our relationship with God.  If the soil isn’t good.....the garden won’t be healthy.

~~~~Breaking down:

Hard, clay soil doesn’t soak up the rain water…it just runs off.  Seed sown on hard ground can’t take root and grow.  The gardener will have to break down the hard clay and compacted soil by digging or rototilling to turn it over and loosen it up.   And on some soil he might even have to use a pick to break it down!  The softened soil can then soak in the water and the plants can put down their roots and grow.

        Hosea 10:12   'Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the  
                        LORD.'

        Psalm 51:17  “You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”

What causes our hearts to become hard?

Our hearts can become hard from many different things: 

        ~ Sometimes it’s just life.  Life is not easy and it can be painful.  To protect ourselves  

           from the hurts and disappointments, we build up calluses, or hardness, in our hearts.

Prov. 4:23  Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

        ~ Sometimes it’s because of rebellion against God…wanting to be in control 

            of our own lives.

Heb. 3:15    "Today when you hear His voice, don't harden your hearts as Israel did 

when they rebelled."

       ~ Sometimes it’s because of unbelief or disobedience to His Word.

Mark 3:5 “He looked around at them and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts.”

          Mark 16:14  “And He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart.”

          ~Sometimes it’s because of bitterness, anger, resentment, jealousy, pride, 

          envy....self.   These are like rocks, weeds and invasive plants that have to be 
          removed.

Heb. 12:15  Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you.

~~~~Building up:

After breaking down the soil the gardener will begin to build it up by working amendments

into it…things he adds to keep it from becoming hard and compacted again. 

One of the best of these is compost.

     Compost is made up of grass clippings, dead plants, dead leaves, kitchen scraps, rotted, smelly fruit and vegetables…all the things we would normally throw away.  But put them all together, let them sit and heat up, stir them once in awhile and you have compost…



a wonderful, loose, life-giving mixture that builds up the soil. 
It is full of nutrients and its rich, loose texture gives the soil
exactly what it needs to be the foundation for growing, thriving

plants.  Compost is a wonderful, useful, living thing that is
made from unwanted, useless, dead things.

In the same way, God makes spiritual compost from the broken, rotten, smelly pieces of our lives.  He uses everything in our lives for good... even parts we thought were dead and useless.  

There is nothing that comes into our lives that He doesn’t use in part of His plan for us.  He mixes it all together, lets it sit and heat up, stirs it around and when it is all ready He uses it in our lives to make something beautiful and useful and alive…and He sits back and smiles as He watches His plants growing and thriving.

Psalm 23:3  “He restores my soul.”

           Rom. 8:28   “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the 
                               good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose  
                               for them.”

            Joel 2:25  "Then I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has
                              eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust.”

~So let the Lord do His preparing work on the soil of your heart. 

~Let Him break up the hardness and make it soft and pliable. 

~Give Him all the broken, spoiled parts of your life and let Him use 
   them to make something life-giving and good. 

~Let Him restore to you the years that have been wasted. 

 ~Let Him make you into a beautiful, thriving garden bringing joy and life to all around you.

2 Chron. 16:9  "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.

A Fruitful Harvest : He Plans

In my last post we looked at how God is the Master Gardener and how He  is intimately involved with every part of seeing us, His plants, grow, mature and produce fruit.

So now I want to talk about the steps a gardener takes in making and tending a garden.  Because a fruitful, bountiful harvest doesn’t just happen all on it’s own.

 1.  HE PLANS

In her book Time Began in a Garden, Emilie Barnes wrote:

“Long before the first piece of sod is turned, long before the seeds are ordered or the plants are purchased or the first buds begin to open, the garden takes root in the mind, the heart and the imagination of the gardener.  And even after a garden has begun, it continues to be fed from the gardener’s dreams” 

The garden all begins in the heart and the mind of the gardener.  He has a plan.

Likewise….God has a plan:

Eph. 1:4  He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,  In love, He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

Jer. 29:11  'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Psa. 33:8  The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation. 

Isa. 25:1  O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.

Eph. 2:10  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Psa. 139 .   For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb.   I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.

--Each plant has its own purpose –all are made by God and are different and unique...all fit 

    together for His purposes.

Never forget...

~He is the designer..

~He has the plan...

~His plans are always right and good and come together to    

   create a thing of beauty that brings honor to Him.

                      “The planting of the Lord that He may be glorified” Is. 61:3

A Fruitful Harvest : The Master Gardener

A while back I did a retreat about  ‘A Fruitful Harvest’.  Since this is the gardening season, I thought it would be a good time to share some of it with you.  Over the next several posts, I will be taking some excerpts from the retreat messages and sharing them with you.  I pray you will be able to relate and be blessed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

First, we are going to look at how God works in our lives as the Master Gardener.

God used examples of gardens, plants, trees, grass, vines, etc. in His Word to show how he relates to people as the Master Gardener.

 

Psalm 1:3  He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither.

Psalm 92:12  The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Psalm 103:15  As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

Isaiah 58:11   you will be like a watered garden,

 Isaiah 61:11  as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

Isaiah 5:7  For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah His delightful plant.

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 The Bible begins in Genesis with God creating the world, filling it with life and planting a garden for man to cultivate.

For those of you who love to garden or know someone who does, you know that a true gardener LOVES to be among his plants –

~ close to them,

     ~touching them,

      ~working with them,

                      ~tending them,  
                             ~enjoying their fragrance, their beauty and the fruits of his labors.

*A gardener nurtures his plants and cares for them lovingly.

* He is intimately involved with every part of seeing his plants

                 grow, mature and produce fruit.

*He becomes very familiar with his plants and cares for them individually. 

And sometimes He loves to sit back and just look at the garden and enjoy what he has accomplished.

In Jn 15:1 – Jesus said His Father is the vinedresser, or in some translations, gardener.  God is the Master Gardener and His heart is for US...His plants…His garden.

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Just think---

The eternal Creator of the Universe, subjected Himself to a body of a man...

limited to time and space.....and lived among us. 

The feet of God Almighty...walking barefoot on dirt roads, getting tired and sore and dirty, stepping on rocks, and thorns...sleeping on the ground where it was cold and hard.

Why did He do all this?  

 For the fruit.

 We are His harvest—the fruit of His labor… the fruit of His love.

 

Rev 4:11  "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."