How to Plant Your Garden

Good morning and Happy Mother's Day! Today's post is going to be a bit different. I have been up before the dawn reading my devotionals and putting lunch in the crock pot. Pastors are away for a much needed rest and vacation and have asked me to bring forth the message this morning. It won't be a traditional Mother's Day sermon, but it was a God inspired one. It is below, please read, enjoy and have a truly blessed Mother's Day!

How To Plant Your Garden

Song of Solomon 2:11-12 "For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over & gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land."

At the end of winter most people start thinking about 1 thing and no, I am not talking about mushrooms. They get Ecclesiastes 3:2 minded. "A time to be born, and a time to die, A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted." Specifically the time to plant, they start thinking and planning a garden. At the first of the year God called us to be fruitful and to multiply. In essence He was speaking it is time to once again to tend the gardens of our hearts.

Stacey & I have been talking a lot about our garden...the one in the natural that we are going to plant. We have been planning out what vegetables we would like in our garden. I have to admit Stacey has been a bit more pro-active about it then I, she has already bought a few plants & seeds. I, in the meantime, have been trying to get a tree out of the yard because it is covering part of where we have planned on putting the garden.

Any good gardener knows that the first thing past the planning stage to be done is to till the garden and remove all the stones in the garden to prepare the soil to receive the seeds and seedlings that will be planted. God has been tilling the gardens of our hearts lately; turning the soil and revealing the stones in our hearts. Galatians 5:19-21 Amplified reads "Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, enmity (contentions), strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper) selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), envy drunkenness, carousing and the like." I believe that the works of the flesh spoken in Galatians 5:19-21 are the stones God is revealing in the process of our gardens.

Galatians 6:7 "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." Job 4:8 "Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same." We know that if we plant a seed of corn in our gardens we can expect corn. Let's look at some of the things we need to be "sowing" or planting in our hearts so God can reap and receive a bountiful harvest of fruit in our lives.


For the garden of your daily living plant three rows of peas:

The first step in a fruitful garden is in Mark 12:30 "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first commandment." If you don't love God you won't want to even cultivate and change the garden of your heart.

1) Peace of mind - Isaiah 26:3 "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts you."
If we keep our minds focused on God HE will keep us in perfect peace.

2Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." A sound mind is a mind at peace, not worried or shaken by what is going around them, but focused on God and trusting Him.

2) Peace of heart - Proverbs 4:4 "He also taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live." We can have peace in our hearts if we hold fast to God's word and not let it be hardened with offense and strife.

John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me." If we truly believe that God & His word are true, if we just trust Him we can have peace in our hearts.

3) Peace of soul - Psalm 103:1-2 "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." When our hearts and minds are saturated with the Word of God, it leaves no room for sorrow in the soul, only rejoicing.

Plant 4 rows of squash:

1) Squash Gossip - Per Dictionary.com gossip is defined as:

–noun
1. idle talk or rumor, esp. about the personal or private affairs of others.
2. light, familiar talk or writing, small talk, hearsay.

–verb (used without object)
6. to talk idly, esp. about the affairs of others; go about tattling.

Matthew 13:36 "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemmed." Gossip breeds division and strife. Hearsay is inadmissible in a court of law...it should also be inadmissible in our day to day lives. A person's view of others can be clouded by another's gossiping their own offenses, hurts and impressions.

2) Squash indifference - Dictionary.com defines indifference as:

–noun
1. lack of interest or concern.
2. unimportance; little or no concern
3. the quality or condition of being indifferent.
4. mediocre quality; mediocrity.

Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Romans 13:8 "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law." Romans 13:10 "Loves does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." Hebrews 10:24 "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works." We should be continually concerned & interesting in our brothers and sisters. We should be attuned to one another's needs and interested in meeting those needs. Times are vastly upon us when we will have no one to depend upon other then God and each other. Indifference also breeds strife and division.

3) Squash grumbling - Dictionary.com defines grumble as:

–verb (used without object)
1. to murmur or mutter in discontent; complain sullenly.
2. to utter low, indistinct sounds; growl.
3. to rumble: The thunder grumbled in the west.

God gives us good examples of what not to do in His word! Remember the children of Israel....they grumbled and died in the wilderness. Remember "complain & remain, praise & be raised." Grumbling only breeds division, strife, gossip in our lives....bad fruit!

4) Squash selfishness - Dictionary.com defines selfishness as:

–adjective
1. devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others.
2. characterized by or manifesting concern or care only for oneself: selfish motives.

In Galatians 5:19 Selfishness is one of the fruits of the flesh, which, if not checked and removed can cause division, strife, jealousy and a whole host of other rotten fruits! Instead let us apply Galatians 6:10 "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith." Look for opportunities to help one another.

Plant 4 rows of Lettuce:

1) Lettuce be faithful - Dictionary.com defines faithful as:
–adjective
1. strict or thorough in the performance of duty.
2. true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.
3. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant.
4. reliable, trusted, or believed.
5. adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate


Psalm 31:23 "Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the lord preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person."

Proverbs 13:17 "A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful ambassador brings health."

Proverbs 28:20 "A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished."

2) Lettuce be kind - Ephesians 4:31-32 "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."

3) Let us be paitent - Ecclesiastes 7:8 "The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit."
1Thessalonians 5:14 "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all." Patience, forgiveness and acts of goodness must prevail between all as Christ is patient, forgives and does acts of goodness for us.

James 5:7-8 "Therefore be patient, breathren until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer wiats for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."

4) Lettuce really love one another - Mark 12:31 "And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Genuine love of God is followed in importance by a genuine love for people.

No garden is complete without turnips:

1) Turnip for meetings - Hebrews 10:24 "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as in the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Collective and corporate worship is a vital part of the spiritual life...remember there is strength in numbers! A house divided cannot stand...when we worship corporately the heavens open up like Tuesday night.

2) Turnip for service - If there is a job to be done, don't talk about it, step up and do it. If you see a need meet the need especially in the growing days.

3) Turnip to help one another - It has been said many times, in the days coming we will be finding ourselves relying on one another more and more. Don't be afraid or too selfish to reach out and help one another. If we can be fruitful within our own body, how much more fruitful can we be to this world?

Another important component in our garden is Thyme

1) Thyme for God - Matthew 6:33 "But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." What things you ask...go back to verses 31-32 "Therefore do not worry saying 'What sahll we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly FAther kows that you need all these things." There have been times in my walk with God that I needed these things....food and clothing. Only God knew of my need and I sought Him diligently and He brought everything I needed. Bags of clothes with tags still on them from the store...I haven't missed one single meal, He has been faithful to increase my buying power so I can feed others. Which leads me to the second Thyme...

2) Thyme for others - Matthew 5:1r416 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put in under a basket, but on lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." We are to share with others the Gospel of Christ and we can't do that if we don't take time for others, reaching out.

3) Thyme for friends - Again we are the light of the world. Some of our friends are "christians" some are not, but if we don't take time for others we are just a lamp under a basket. Get out of yourself and get out and help others.

Preventative maintenance of the garden calls for watering your garden with the Living Water, Christ Jesus and the washing of the word. The garden needs nutrients so it is best to use the right fertilizer & plant food. What are you feeding the garden of your heart? Bitterness, anger, resentment, offense? Feed your garden with the word & presence of God and you will have fruit like in Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Holy Spirit (the work which His presence accomplishes) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is not law (that can bring a charge).

Weeds are detrimental to the growth of your garden. They steal precious nutrients & water from the other plants in the garden. Proverbs 4:23 "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." Some weeds like morning glories, although quite pretty when they bloom, will choke out the life of the plants in the garden with them. Be mindful of what plants are in your garden and weed, weed, weed as God reveals.

Proverbs 14:30 "A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones."

Hosea 10:12 "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you."