April 10, 2023
Melissa Valerio
I have always wanted a vegetable garden. Especially now that Spring is in full swing with the birds chirping, flowers blooming, temperatures rising. What a treat to be able to grow your own tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, green beans, onions, and so on. I’d eat salads every day, and still have plenty to give away!
I find it interesting that life started twice in a garden. First, in the Garden of Eden, where God created man and woman (Genesis 2). And the most significant time, in the garden of the tomb, where Jesus came back to life from the dead (John 19:41). If gardens are so significant in the Bible, I wonder what we can do to cultivate the garden of His Kingdom. After all, we have been planted here on Earth to do His work. How can we lend our hands and feet to the work of the Lord and help bring life to a dying world? I suppose we can start by tending our own gardens. A garden of love in a relationship. A garden of discernment in raising our children. A garden of peace in the workplace. A garden of hope through a hardship. And who better to sustain that garden than the Bread of Life, Himself. In John 6 we read of Jesus explaining that He is the manna that came from Heaven. Sent to give us eternal life, which is more vital than any physical bread we could eat to sustain physical life. But much in the same way, the Bread of Life gives life to anything it feeds. So why not feed it to all those areas? Our relationships could always use more of Jesus’ help. Our children could always use more of Jesus leading their parents. Our workplace could definitely use more of Jesus’ peace, and our trials always need more of Jesus’ perseverance.
Gardens are a beautiful picture of life forming and taking shape. Starting as a seed; flowers, fruits, and vegetables are planted, nurtured, and developed over time. We can do the same in our own lives. By inviting Jesus into every area of our lives, we are feeding those areas with the supernatural bread from Heaven. Over time, we will witness God’s transforming power over all the areas we’ve invited Him into. Seeing a once formless and void land become a beautiful and glorious paradise.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, thank You for giving us life. Thank You for creating and sustaining all things. Only in Your son can we have ultimate and abundant life. He offers all fulfillment and satisfaction. Help us to always hunger and thirst for Him. In the holy name of Your Son, Jesus, Amen.
Action: The next time you see a garden, think of how God brought all those plants to life by the word of His mouth. In the same way, He can bring any lifeless situation to life, if only you’d ask Him to.