garden. He has a purpose for each plant. Then he prepares the soil to be ready for
planting. He breaks down the hard soil and adds
amendments to make it soft so the seeds
will be able
to put their roots down deep and grow up into healthy plants that bear fruit
and
bring beauty.
Luke
8: 8 & 18 – “And other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up,
and produced a crop a hundred times as great…And the seed in the good soil,
these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and
hold it fast, and bear fruit.”
3. He plants:
~Now he can begin to plant. Each seed has been planned for and the soil has been
prepared.
He
buries each seed in the area of the garden that is just right for that
particular plant.
He waters, waits
and watches. Soon small specks of green
begin to emerge from the soil.
But what
comes up out
of the soil is not the seed!
When
seeds are planted in the ground, an entirely
new thing is born…the old part dies and new life emerges
from it…something completely
different.
~So…how
does this relate to us?
~How are WE
planted?
~What does that really mean?
Col. 2:12-14 – “For
you were buried with Christ…And with Him you were raised to new life
because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins. Then God made
you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against
us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”
In
John 3, Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born anew…not physically...but of the Spirit…a spiritual
birth.
John
3:6 – “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit.”
I
Peter 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
~
When
we place our lives in Christ and trust in His death for the payment for our
sin, God...the Master Gardener, plants us into Him.
Romans 6:5 – “For if
we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also
in the likeness of His resurrection”
~We are now identified
with Christ in His death for us and we essentially have died to our old sin
nature. We are made a new creation…we have a new life by His Spirit now within
us.
2 Cor. 5:17 – “…anyone who belongs
to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone a new life has begun."
Eph. 2:4-6 – “But God is so rich in
mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of
our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is
only by God's grace that you have been saved!) For He raised us from the dead
along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because
we are united with Christ Jesus.”
I Peter 1:23 – “For you have been
born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Are you planted in Him?
~Have you been buried with Christ ....
...died to your old life....and been raised up to new life in Christ?
~Have you been buried with Christ ....
...died to your old life....and been raised up to new life in Christ?
My prayer for you is….
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to
comprehend…
~what is the breadth
~and length
~and height
~and depth
and to know the love of Christ...which surpasses knowledge.”
Ephesians 3:17-19
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to
comprehend…~what is the breadth
~and length
~and height
~and depth
and to know the love of Christ...which surpasses knowledge.”
Ephesians 3:17-19
No comments:
Post a Comment