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The Master Gardener
Do you know God the Father as the Master Gardener?
From the beginning of time He has a gardener's heart. He planted the
first garden in Eden (Gen 2:8), and put man in the garden to
cultivate it and keep it (Gen 2:15).
As we stroll throughout the Bible, we observe the Father gardening
in another garden—the garden of the heart. (1 Cor 3:9, Isa 5:7)
Threaded throughout the Bible He is seen:
Cultivating: "For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to
you, and you shall be cultivated and sown." (Ezek 36:9
NAS)
Planting: "They will be called oaks of righteousness, a
planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor." (Isa 61:3
NIV)
Watering: "So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD,
His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us
like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth." (Hosea
6:3 NAS)
Causing growth: "They shall return and dwell beneath my
shadow, they shall flourish as a garden; they shall blossom
as the vine, their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon."
(Hosea 14:7 RSV)
He has given His Word—the Bible—as the seed to be sown in our hearts
(Luke 8:11). He watches over His Word to perform it (Jer 1:12) just
like the gardener who patiently watches over his seed to make sure
it sprouts and grows into healthy, fruit-bearing plants.
As the earthly gardener protects his tender seedlings from predators
and insects, and knows just how much fertilizer and water to give
them, the Master Gardener cultivates our hearts giving us what we
need when we need it. He encamps His angels around us and covers us
with the precious blood of His Son Jesus to protect us from all that
would try to destroy us.
Won't you open the garden gate of your heart and let Him in?
Surrender yourself to Him, and allow Him to soften your heart and
remove anything that would hinder your spiritual growth. Entrust
yourself to the care of the Master Gardener, for He loves you and
the plans He has for you are plans to prosper you, not to harm you (Jer
29:11).
Dear Father, I yield my heart, will and emotions to You and ask You
to be the Master of my life. Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive
way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Ps 139:23-24 NIV).
Fill me with the knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and
understanding, so that I may walk in a manner worthy of You, Lord,
to please You in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and
increasing in the knowledge of God. In Jesus' name, Amen. (Col
1:9-10 NAS)
In upcoming weeks we will teach you how to cultivate your own heart,
and the hearts of others, by personalizing the Word of God in
prayer. But for now, yield your will and desires to God and begin
planting the seed of His Word in your heart by meditating on
Scripture, studying His Word and talking to God in prayer.
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