…As a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations (Isaiah 61:11).
The Lord Jesus is a garden and I am planted in Him. He is my garden.
Jesus will cause righteousness and praise to spring up in me. He is my righteousness.
A seed planted in a garden doesn’t look like much when it’s planted. It doesn’t even come close to resembling the plant it will become.
When I was first planted in Jesus, I didn’t resemble what I would become.
A seed begins with a hard outer shell. The dirt of the earth covers it and insulates it, and keeps it from drying out as the water moistens and softens it.
Jesus was and is my dirt. He covers me, He insulates me, and He keeps me from drying out as the rains come. Some rains are gentle, inspiring, and a joy to run around in. Some rains are hard, bring flooding, and require shelter. In either case, Jesus is with me, letting the rains soften my hard, outer shell.
Then the shell of the seed breaks open, falls away, or sometimes hangs on the tip of the first baby leaves. The sprout rises, rooted in the garden.
My shell opens and a new creation bursts forth. Sometimes the remains of the shell disappear, are swallowed up by the garden. Sometimes there are vestiges of the shell hanging on. The Gardener will knock them away when my roots gain strength. My God will never stop tending me and my roots will strengthen in Jesus.
The plant that grew from the seed will grow stronger in good soil. It will produce flowers for pollination and fruit for harvest. Healthy soil makes healthy fruit.
Planted in Jesus, I will grow. He makes all things beautiful and He will cause me to produce flowers and fruit. And His fruit is love. His soil makes love.
The seed planted in a garden cannot — will not — grow without the garden, without the dirt. The seed cannot make itself grow. Only what the garden brings can get the seed to grow.
I cannot grow without Jesus. I cannot make myself do it. Only what Jesus brings can get me to grow.
Jesus is my garden. He will cause righteousness and praise to spring up in me.
