How does your garden grow?
I love to see and have a healthy lawn especially in our front garden. However, we have a large tree that overshadows the lawn which affects its growth and beauty.
During summer the lawn was very lush and beautiful but I often find that late autumn and winter causes the grass to wither. I have a dilemma as how best to restore the lawn; do I seed it or add new turf? I will add new turf which is quicker and will provide a lovely lawn for the rest of the year until maybe autumn!!
In this insight I want us to think about seeds of deceit and seeds of righteousness.
In the bible there are a number of fruits that are mentioned such as grapes, olives and figs. Other types of fruit includes pomegranates, melons, mulberries and various types of nuts. When a farmer or gardener plants a seed they have a particular intention and hope that it will produce a certain fruit or flower. The fruit gathered together at harvest time will represent a produce and a product that can be sold or consumed.
A seed of deceit
In Genesis 2: 7 –9, 15 – 17 we read about a garden the Lord had created which represented perfection and beauty and into which Adam and Eve lived and enjoyed. They were able to eat freely from every tree of the garden except from the tree/trees of the knowledge of: good and evil, blessing and calamity.
In Genesis 3: 1- 24 we have an account of the consequences that occurred after Adam and Eve ate fruit from the tree of knowledge. It changed their life experience from peace and tranquillity to one of pain and toil.
Adam and Eve had choices to consider that represented God’s specific guidelines for them. A seed of deceit was planted in their hearts which resulted in a separation from the perfect will and presence of God. There is a case that different types of food may not be agreeable for us but if we continue to digest them it will cause us to become ill and even experience a spiritual and physical death.
A seed of righteousness
In Proverbs 11:30 we find that the “fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.” A seed of God’s spirit grows in a believer’s life and produces fruits of the spirit.
Jesus said in Luke 6:43 -45 and Matthew 12: 33-37 that “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.” He explained that good and evil acts flow from a person’s character.
Fruitfulness
In Isaiah 5: 1-7 Israel is likened to a vine planted by God with the intention of producing fruit. However, Israel offered up more bad fruit than the required good fruit. Jesus in John 15: 1 – 17 outlines to his followers that they should be like branches that are connected to the main vine and as they abide in the branches they will be nourished and in turn produce good fruit.
Paul in Romans 7: 4 – 8 argues that those who are energized by God’s spirit will bear “fruit to God.” In Galatians 5 we have the contrast between the fruit of human nature and the nine fold fruit of God’s spirit evidenced in human lives and described as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
God wants us to be fruitful and productive which will reflect our character and actions. Fruitfulness is only possible through a sustained relationship with Jesus Christ and the gifting of the Holy Spirit. This compares to a view that being fruitful is based on the number of people coming to know Christ personally and how many people attend a local church or any good deeds that we are involved in.
As the saying goes ‘little acorns produce large oak trees’. A seed of deceit sown and grown will produce bad fruit that is unacceptable to a holy God. Through the redeeming work of Christ we may be able to embrace seeds of righteousness that bring a promise of new life on earth and even a hope of a perfect lawn and garden in heaven.
Questions to consider
- Think about your physical and spiritual diet. How balanced do you think it is at this present time and in what ways can you improve it?
- How can we discern between a seed of deceit and a seed that will produce righteousness?
- How can we exercise more self-responsibility when certain choices we make result in particular consequences?
- Th
ink about how you may become more fruitful in character and actions in 2022?
Explore to Inspire 