In The Garden
In the Garden
For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.
Isaiah 61:11
Gardens have been cherished and celebrated since the beginning of time. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is full of nature's beauty, and for good reason! Many of us find peace in the natural world, feeling a connection to our Creator and coming away with a sense of renewal after spending time in His presence there.
The Lord obviously speaks to the heart through the beauty of His creation. It's easy to forget that, at one time, all the wonders we behold had not appeared but were instead contained in the tiniest seeds! Those seeds were scattered (either naturally or by human hand), watered, and warmed by the sun, finally finding their way to the surface to bloom and grow in what we see today.
No one would ever guess what those little vessels of wonderment would become just by looking at them. So much is orchestrated inside them, unseen, transforming their simple beginning into something unexpectedly marvelous.
Our lives are very much like those seeds, held in the hands of our Creator. Making all things new is His specialty (see Revelation 21:5). Like a master gardener, He knows exactly what wonders will be springing up from our days, even during those times when we doubt anything possibly turning out for our good. What we often see as ordinary, He sees as opportunity. What we see as an ending, He sees as a new start. He sees our amazing potential.
+++
And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Revelation 21:5
What does it mean that God is making all things new? I believe it means that we are going to be different in the future than we are today! All of us have faced trials and struggles in this life. We have faced sickness and disease. There has been the loss of loved ones. People we love and trusted have turned their backs on us. There have been financial struggles and relationship challenges. There is not one of us who has journeyed through life unaffected by the struggles common to all people.
This passage speaks of something new! While we all know that eternity, when we arrive there, will be something new, I do not believe God intends us to wait that long to experience it. Yes, there is an immediate newness in Christ when we are born anew by the gift of faith. Yes, we have the assurance of forgiveness and eternal life. But there is more! So much more God wants us to experience.
Our faith does not shield us from the struggles of life in this broken world. Our faith enables us to hold on to God’s promises and look for what is new! What He is working to accomplish for our blessings.
In the exercise of His will He gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. James 1:18
The amazing thing about a garden is that when it is in full bloom we don’t even remember the months before when it was barren and seemingly dead. The long, cold, months of winter don’t even come to mind when the Spring breeze is blowing, and the sun is shining brightly. We see the blossoms budding and the flowers blooming and the apparent death of winter is over.
We also think very little of the approaching season of Fall when the flowers will fade and the stems will turn brown. Death seems to draw close but deep down there is still life. In that unseen region, just beyond our sight, there is still life waiting to burst forth when the rain comes and the sun shines brightly again.
The cycle of life continues, and we are so used to it we barely pay attention. What is true of a garden is also true in our own lives. As the seasons of life progress, we experience the challenges I mentioned above. We journey through the season of apparent death and wonder if life will ever return.
Then one day, seemingly out of nowhere, the sun begins to shine, and the rains fall and what seems so dead begins to sprout and grow. New hope is born in our hearts, and we see a way into our future which didn’t seem to be there before. This is the fruit of a faithful life.
Yes, fruit can be understood as the good works we do for the Kingdom, but in order for there to be fruit there must also be growth. The most rapid time of growth comes just beyond the time of struggle. This is where growth begins and preparation is made for the fruit which will be borne.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
In this text Paul speaks of transformation. Transformation is a funny word. We imagine one thing becoming another and thus it is transformed. This is true! But here we are talking about a human life. People are not transformed in an instant like flipping a light switch. Salvation is instant by the grace of God, but transformation is an ongoing process from one moment to the next, and so on until the end.
The “renewing of your mind” is something that will never stop or reach completion while we are still living and breathing in this world. Transforming and renewing are the ongoing work of God in our lives until we reach the end.
It is this constant, ever present, work of God in our lives which moves us through the dark times of seeming death to the dawn of a new day of growth and life. God is faithful and He promises each one of us that regardless of what we face in this life, He will be present to guide us and enable us to see a future with hope.
No matter how dark it might become, there is a new day coming and with the new day comes new life.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Russ
For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.
Isaiah 61:11
Gardens have been cherished and celebrated since the beginning of time. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is full of nature's beauty, and for good reason! Many of us find peace in the natural world, feeling a connection to our Creator and coming away with a sense of renewal after spending time in His presence there.
The Lord obviously speaks to the heart through the beauty of His creation. It's easy to forget that, at one time, all the wonders we behold had not appeared but were instead contained in the tiniest seeds! Those seeds were scattered (either naturally or by human hand), watered, and warmed by the sun, finally finding their way to the surface to bloom and grow in what we see today.
No one would ever guess what those little vessels of wonderment would become just by looking at them. So much is orchestrated inside them, unseen, transforming their simple beginning into something unexpectedly marvelous.
Our lives are very much like those seeds, held in the hands of our Creator. Making all things new is His specialty (see Revelation 21:5). Like a master gardener, He knows exactly what wonders will be springing up from our days, even during those times when we doubt anything possibly turning out for our good. What we often see as ordinary, He sees as opportunity. What we see as an ending, He sees as a new start. He sees our amazing potential.
+++
And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Revelation 21:5
What does it mean that God is making all things new? I believe it means that we are going to be different in the future than we are today! All of us have faced trials and struggles in this life. We have faced sickness and disease. There has been the loss of loved ones. People we love and trusted have turned their backs on us. There have been financial struggles and relationship challenges. There is not one of us who has journeyed through life unaffected by the struggles common to all people.
This passage speaks of something new! While we all know that eternity, when we arrive there, will be something new, I do not believe God intends us to wait that long to experience it. Yes, there is an immediate newness in Christ when we are born anew by the gift of faith. Yes, we have the assurance of forgiveness and eternal life. But there is more! So much more God wants us to experience.
Our faith does not shield us from the struggles of life in this broken world. Our faith enables us to hold on to God’s promises and look for what is new! What He is working to accomplish for our blessings.
In the exercise of His will He gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. James 1:18
The amazing thing about a garden is that when it is in full bloom we don’t even remember the months before when it was barren and seemingly dead. The long, cold, months of winter don’t even come to mind when the Spring breeze is blowing, and the sun is shining brightly. We see the blossoms budding and the flowers blooming and the apparent death of winter is over.
We also think very little of the approaching season of Fall when the flowers will fade and the stems will turn brown. Death seems to draw close but deep down there is still life. In that unseen region, just beyond our sight, there is still life waiting to burst forth when the rain comes and the sun shines brightly again.
The cycle of life continues, and we are so used to it we barely pay attention. What is true of a garden is also true in our own lives. As the seasons of life progress, we experience the challenges I mentioned above. We journey through the season of apparent death and wonder if life will ever return.
Then one day, seemingly out of nowhere, the sun begins to shine, and the rains fall and what seems so dead begins to sprout and grow. New hope is born in our hearts, and we see a way into our future which didn’t seem to be there before. This is the fruit of a faithful life.
Yes, fruit can be understood as the good works we do for the Kingdom, but in order for there to be fruit there must also be growth. The most rapid time of growth comes just beyond the time of struggle. This is where growth begins and preparation is made for the fruit which will be borne.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
In this text Paul speaks of transformation. Transformation is a funny word. We imagine one thing becoming another and thus it is transformed. This is true! But here we are talking about a human life. People are not transformed in an instant like flipping a light switch. Salvation is instant by the grace of God, but transformation is an ongoing process from one moment to the next, and so on until the end.
The “renewing of your mind” is something that will never stop or reach completion while we are still living and breathing in this world. Transforming and renewing are the ongoing work of God in our lives until we reach the end.
It is this constant, ever present, work of God in our lives which moves us through the dark times of seeming death to the dawn of a new day of growth and life. God is faithful and He promises each one of us that regardless of what we face in this life, He will be present to guide us and enable us to see a future with hope.
No matter how dark it might become, there is a new day coming and with the new day comes new life.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Russ
Recent
Archive
2026
January
February
March
July
August
2025
January
October
November
2024
February
Categories
no categories
No Comments