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One passage from the Bible that affected me recently is found within Isaiah 61:11 (NKJV) which says "For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations". What a time that will be for us to look forward to! Righteousness and praise in order to honour God and glorify His name above all others. In the meantime we tend our parcels of land however small or temporary they may be. Watching and figuring out how each plant responds to care and attention is part of the fun and excitement in order to effectively care for our greenery. Over the years many of mine have withered away from either lack of hydration or too much of it, which is known by the term "killing it with kindness" and I am definitely guilty of neglecting indoor plants in pots -- pot plants -- mainly due to lack of time from a very hectic schedule of full time work, study, children, cooking, washing, ironing, keeping the family home neat, clean and tidy -- which are all planned for in the daily schedule along with unexpected or unplanned things such as illness, hospitalisation and accidents, as well as other items that include holidays or vacations which simply fit under the category of life. Whew, just reading this list causes me to feel rushed and stressed and I do not know how I juggled that much on my plate while working full time. We will just say that the plants outside fared much better than those indoors.
Here in Australia we usually purchase plants, shrubs, trees, and seeds from nurseries where most of the stock is kept outside or under shade cloth to protect shade loving plants from the effects of the sun. Then there are big chain stores that sell both plants and seeds too, as well as weekend markets. The term nursery is quite an apt name as it denotes care through feeding, watering, tending, and positioning for best outcomes. This name for some is perhaps mostly or more readily associated with babies in hospital nurseries, in the nursery room within homes, or in day care facilities where only babies and infants of very young age are allowed to be looked after in the nursery as they require specialised care and have greater safety needs. Gardening reminds me that without the proper time and attention with feeding, watering, pruning, covering, staking, protecting from frost and animals, fertilising, and planting in the best spot for sunshine and shade, then the seeds planted may not take or show any growth at all. Time should be a high priority and is much needed in order to invest in gardening if one wants seeds to germinate once they have been planted so that growth will occur, and hopefully in time and with consistent nurturing, the sapling will grow to maturity. Just so, God is our Master Gardener who is always watching us, tending to our needs by providing the Helper in order to get spiritual growth (John 14:26).
Gardening throughout my life has been a chore rather than a delight until I started a relationship with God. Everything in my life is much better when shared with God as it has definitely proved to be the case. Sometimes I enjoy watering our hanging plants as I talk to God while admiring the colourful buds of the fuschia, azalea, or hydrangeas, however the best or favourite gardening duty of mine is to just stand still outside in the fresh air, in the cool of the morning or evening, while holding the garden hose to water the trees and vegetation. Sprinkling away watching puddles form or drops of watery goodness shower the leaves gives me a feeling of satisfaction knowing growth will occur after the thirsty plant has been revived. Ever notice how plants can look droopy or saggy but once watered they then spring up to life? Are we just as thirsty for the Word of God as if our life depends on it? God provides us with plenty of sunshine, rain, and soil nutrients for the flora to increase and multiply when seeds are sown for benefit both physically and spiritually. About 12 months ago we planted 3 fruit trees in our front garden and can easily see that the lemon tree is thriving. Watching the fruit grow in size is quite satisfying because our consistent efforts are rewarded. It is profitable and pleasing to reap the good fruit from sowing, and it will be very exciting to share this with others such as family, friends, and people we know prior to the establishment of God's Kingdom.
Sowing seeds reminds me of another biblical scripture in Galatians 6:7-10 (ESV) "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith". We must therefore ask ourselves what are we sowing? Hopefully we are sowing good seeds -- those that will take root -- while going about our daily lives always looking to God our Father by allowing His Holy Spirit to lead us.
Everything in the Bible is true. God's word is Truth and we know the full confidence and peace this brings. We do reap what we sow. So if we are willing to be guided by God's Holy Spirit then we are sure to be developing the fruit which is talked about in Galatians 5:22-23. Interestingly, Hosea 10:12 says "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you". Sowing and reaping sounds like a lot of work but it is manageable when we get up each day to live our lives in diligent and conscious effort of doing God's will. We can do nothing without God as it is He who directs our steps, carries our burdens, blesses our efforts, and causes all things to come to pass according to His will even despite our non participation and getting in the way of progress -- when we put our will first through sinful behaviour (John 15:4-10). He does not need us to plant seeds but wants to work with us in order to sow the seeds of potential life and reap the benefits down the track. The question is...do we want to plant seeds of righteousness and be part of the work that is being done right now as one of the workers out in the field? There is much work to be done as the workers are few and it is an extremely important work.
The seeds we are planting now have great benefit to others because the world is confused and deceived about many things -- right and wrong, they mix up darkness and light, put evil for good and good for evil, and have gone their own way by doing what is right in their own eyes much like the Bible says many times over in the book of Judges. Sin is something foreign to them as they close their ears and eyes to what goes on at the hands of others and even from themselves. By doing nothing many are complicit and live in fear -- fear of death and dying, of the COVID-19 virus, of losing their homes, jobs, health, travel, and life as we knew it pre pandemic times. While the world now presently sows iniquity and unrighteousness they will reap harvests of pain from weeds and poisonous plantings and this will increase until Christ returns to earth. Jesus will usher in the Kingdom of God where everyone will begin to learn about sowing seeds of righteousness and then they will reap the benefit of their labour of love.
Meanwhile we need to be hungering and thirsting for righteousness by remaining close to God, always looking to Him for our daily needs as stated in Matthew 6:33. There are many passages within the Bible that speak about gardens and gardening, planting, wheat, tares, weeds, harvesting crops and also about a few labourers in the fields. That is us as we are now in the world -- we are the labourers/gardeners/workers out there sowing seeds and hoping to reap a bumper crop under God's direction for the time ahead when the greatest harvest of all will come to include the vast majority of mankind. Happy gardening and sowing seeds of righteousness!