The Christian life is like a garden into which seeds have been planted to grow and become productive. God has been a “gardener” from the beginning having planted the first garden in Genesis 2:8 into which He placed man. The produce of the garden was to supply man’s nutritional needs, verse 9; and man himself was to become “fruitful”, 1:28. The Christian life is patterned after the same model as we are re-formed into members of God’s family and He “plants” the seeds of His “fruit” within us with the intent that as we partake of His “fruit” we are nourished and become reproductive. This is the order pointed out in 2 Peter 1:4 and 3:18, as first we become “partakers of the divine nature” growing into maturity in the “grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” As we continue in Him we become productive as Jesus tells us in John 15:4-5; it is His “fruit” that we bear, not ours! The branch must receive the sap or nutrition from vine, and thus the fruit it produces is the fruit of the vine. In Galatians 5:22-23 are listed nine verities of “fruit” that should mature and be produced on every “branch” in Christ, as we live to reproduce our kind! Are we partaking of God’s “garden”? Are we reproducing in God’s “garden”? In John 15:8 Jesus said, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
The Garden Of Abundance
By Rose Hill
Let us go to the garden of abundance today,
And learn about growing as we pray.
We will ask God about the fruit we can bear,
As we meditate on His power there.
The trees in God’s garden bear so much,
As they respond to the gardener’s touch.
Of their fruit we will partake,
And know that they are not a fake.
We will meditate on knowing God’s peace,
And the power of growth He will release.
We begin to bear fruit large and sweet,
As we sit and learn at the Master’s feet.
The trees and plants in this garden fair,
Are responding well to the gardener’s care.
Also much fruit our lives will give,
As for our Savior we daily live.
It’s truly a great blessing indeed,
When the garden produces the food we need.
So may our lives also bear fruit always,
And bring blessing to others all our days.
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version copyright by Thomas Nelson Co. and are used by permission.