How Does Your Garden Grow?

My friend Machelle is a wonderful gardener. She reads gardening books, she tries new techniques, she uses really stinky organic material, and maybe the most important thing she does is work that garden almost every day. Her flowers are beautiful.

Many times in the Bible we see a parallel between a diligent farmer and the Christian life. It would be a stretch to call me a gardener. I plant flowers occasionally and surprisingly some of them of them have done quite well. Others, not so well. One thing I have learned though is that if I spend a little time each day pulling weeds, the weeds begin to not be as plenteous after a while. And if I am not diligent to pull weeds, they quickly choke out the good plants. It also seems to be a good idea to know where the best place to plant certain flowers. Some need lots of sun and others need more shade. Hydrangeas seem to like facing north, so that's where they are in my yard. Starting off with good rich soil gives the plants a great base to take root.

One of the spiritual disciplines of the Christian walk is spending time daily in the Word and in prayer. It is crucial to growth and maturity. It gives us tools to use, not only for our own circumstances but when others look to us for help or comfort. Machelle is the first person I would go to for advice about flowers. She knows what she is doing because she has spent years studying and testing and working that skill. I trust her advice. It is amazing how often things I read during my quiet time come to mind throughout the day, blessing me, giving me direction, encouraging me. Just like Machelle knows her garden and then reaps the "fruits" of it, I must know my Father and in turn, He is able to fill me and sustain me. I also notice that great gardeners like her share not only their knowledge but also the actual flowers, herbs, vegetables. Another gardener I know is always bringing friends cuttings of plants from her garden. She enjoys sharing the beauty of her garden. What a lovely picture of the Christian life. Sharing what we learn and seeing others enjoy. Spending time daily with the Father, working through the Word, studying, praying....pulling weeds and planting seeds.

Psalm 63:1-4

God, You are my God; early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see You power and glory. Because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips will praise You. I will bless You while I live. I will lift up my hands in Your name.

Run to Win

One of our favorite activities is watching our girls compete in athletics. Erica just graduated high school and had a lot of fun and success throughout her athletic career. Alyssa is midstream in high school athletics and Lauren will just be starting competitive sports this year in middle school. They play hard, have fun, and honor God. While we take sports seriously in one sense, we also know that it is only one part of the growth of our girls. They learn lots of valuable life lessons through sports. Erica has been yelled at, cursed at, pushed down and knocked out. But she wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

Paul often uses the metaphor of the athlete in explaining the Christian life. In 1 Corinthians 9: 24 he writes, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." One translation simply says "run to win."

Being a successful athlete involves many things. The most important may be self-discipline......denying self. An athlete must work out when she doesn't always feel like it. It hurts sometimes. It's uncomfortable. But it's worth it. Winning feels good. There's nothing like making the winning basket at the buzzer, serving an ace to win the game, or knocking in the game winning run.

The life of a flourishing, successful, fulfilled Christian involves self-discipline as well. God has given us the tools necessary to be a victorious Christian - His Word, His Spirit, fellow believers, and the promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. An athlete who has a fantastic gym, great coaches and trainers, and great equipment but doesn't put in the hours of work it takes to be successful is much like the Christian who lives an unfulfilled, unfruitful life because he doesn't spend time in the Word, in prayer, and with believers who who encourage and challenge him.

The life of a victorious athlete or a victorious Christian is developed through hard work and self-discipline. The spiritual growth process is a daily process with long range focus - to be like Him.

Take my Advice and Check It

The advice/self help section at Barnes and Noble or any other major book store, including Christian book stores, is substantial. Giving advice is big business in America. There is an expert ready to give the latest news and information on just about any situation in your life. And Americans want it! Why else would Oprah be the wealthiest woman in our country?

I have been reading the story of Esther in the Old Testament. She was a beautiful young woman who was taken in by King Xerxes as one of his new wives. She is Jewish and has been raised by her uncle Mordecai, a good man. The conflict of the story surrounds an evil advisor to the king, a guy named Haman. Obviously, Xerxes is not an upright fellow either, because he is easily swayed by his own greed and desire for power. Haman convinces Xerxes to declare that the entire Jewish population in his kingdom should be annihilated and their possessions plundered. Xerxes agrees and then he and Haman sit down and have a drink together!

Besides the evil plot by Haman, one real issue here is that Xerxes is seen throughout the book of Esther taking advice from a variety of people, many of whom do not seem to be qualified to give advice.......the king's attendants, advisors (aka "friends").....

Who advises us? Oprah? Yikes.....hope not.

Proverbs is centered around the central theme of wisdom - living life skillfully. Again and again we are encouraged (read:advised) to seek the wisdom of God. How? In chapter 3 the author uses lots of verbs to give some clue on how to do this.

receive my words

treasure my commands

incline your ear to wisdom

apply your heart to understanding

cry out for discernment

lift up your voice for understanding

seek (wisdom) as silver

search for (wisdom) as for hidden treasures

THEN you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the lord gives wisdom.

The chapter continues to explain how wisdom is being stored up and given freely to the upright; how it's pleasant to your soul; how it will preserve you. No negatives to this deal. It's all good.

So, who are you looking to for advice and counsel? Does what they say match up with Scripture? If not, think about Proverbs 14:3. It says:

In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,

But the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Take my advice, but check it against the Word.