Let’s begin with a story…
There were two men standing in a garden. Man 2 was looking around admiring the handiwork of the garden’s owner, Man 1. He was amazed to see the garden in full bloom even though it was nearly winter. Turning to Man 1, he asked “What’s your secret. When most other gardens have withered, yours is still alive and thriving.”
“It’s simple” Man 1 replied, “I just use the right ingredients. Firstly, I make sure my plants get a lot of sun and then I just add that fertiliser and water.” He pointed over to a sack and a large container.
The other man went over and read the label on the sack, “Wonderfully Organically Reliable Dirt?” As he looked into the sack, he became more confused. “It just looks like dirt to me.”
Man 1 smiled, “That’s what most people think. To them, all dirt is the same but the dirt I use has that something extra in it.”
Still not quite understanding, Man 2 looked over at the container next to the sack, “Aqua of Essence? I don’t get it.”
Nodding, Man 1 went over to Man 2 and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Unfortunately, there are many like yourself who don’t. People will try out a lot of different things to make their gardens grow and they work for a little while but in the end, they are all doomed to fail. You need to find the right ingredients to make sure your garden blooms forever, not just for a short while. Once you understand that concept then you will be able to have all this and more.”
which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; – Colossians 1:6 (NASB)
To make the garden of our lives bloom continuously, we need to have the right ingredients. We need the Son – Jesus to shine upon us and give us the power to grow. If plants don’t get the right amount of light they fail to produce and eventually wither. For us, if we don’t have Jesus then our lives will amount to nothing.
In order to continue to grow, we also need the right dirt. The Word fertilises us and helps us to access the life-giving benefits of the Son. To some people, the Bible is just a book but upon closer inspection, they realise that it is more than that. It contains the answers and solutions to many of the problems we face today. The ingredients contained within the Bible will give us the right nutrients needed to bring our gardens into full life.
Another important ingredient a garden needs is water. Jesus supplies us with living water so that we will never be thirsty again. With living water, our garden will continue to thrive. It is a water supply that will run for eternity and will always be there when we need it.
The growth factor in our lives comes down to Jesus. He supplies the right soil, the nutrients and water a person needs in order to constantly bear fruit and to have a garden that is always in full bloom.
Originally published at Inspirational Christian Blogs – July 2016