Gardening

Today while working in my garden I had a little revelation. I was in the process of hoeing the grass and weeds, when I started to see how this same procedure related to our walk with God. There were several times I started to quit and say that is good enough. However, I would then think every weed I left in the garden now, will be a weed I will have to deal with later. Several times as I hoed and cut the weed off, I thought that is good enough. Then deciding, if I will go a little deeper, I can remove this weed by its root thus fixing the problem not delaying it. I swung the hoe as hard as I could, to go deeper into the soil. Then I realized, I don’t have to work so hard, all I have to do is allow the tool to do its job. I quit swinging the hoe like I was trying to hit a golf ball 300 yards and started just picking it up and letting it fall back into the soil. Once I started allowing the tool to do the work, the job became relatively easy. Over and over again without even having to take a break in order to rest, I lifted and let fall the tool I had chosen for the job. The results were amazing! The garden was weeded quickly and with minimal effort.

 How does this apply to our walk with God you might ask? Well, all too often we are using too much of our own effort to remove the weeds (sins, bad habits…) in our life and not using the tools God has given us in the right way. We will try and remove our sins by our own efforts. Thinking I have to be righteous for God to accept me. This process wears us out. We become tired and usually give up thinking “I just can’t do this” or “I am a hypocrite”. And you know what? You are right you can’t do this! The roots are too deep. The work is too hard. The harder we concentrate on our weeds the more weeds seem to grow. Why is this? The bible tells us that the law was given not only to reveal sin but also to empower sin (1 Corinthians 15:56) “The strength of sin is the law…” What does this mean? The harder “YOU” try to hoe, the more you only cut the weed off not getting the root. We are trying to get the root and we are not using the tool God has given us to remove it. Gods’ tool for removing sin is his grace. Grace, not like we have been taught; doesn’t cover sin. According to the bible, grace empowers us to remove sin. This means we can work in a different way. No longer are we wearing ourselves out doing all the work. Now we just take Gods’ grace and let it do the work. This is what the bible means when it tells us to “enter into His rest”.

IMPACT Corner: You will never rise
higher than you are willing to dream,
so dream big!

Book of the Month: The Greatest Miracle in the World
Author: Og Mandino
                                                                                                   
                                                                                               Become an IMPACT Partner
Quotes:

People Don't Care How Much You Know,
Until They Know How Much You Care!
                                                                              John C. Maxwell
Where There is No Faith in the Future
There Is No Power in the Present.
                                                                               John C. Maxwell
Faith Begins, Where the Will of God is Known
                                                           Kenneth Copeland