I am not a gardener. But recently I was reminded of how that is one of the first things man was created to do. Keep the Garden. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and to keep it”. Scripture is full of metaphors and analogies that pertain to agricultural growth.
We are called to plant the seeds of the gospel. Thank God we are not responsible for “making them grow”. That is up to Jesus working in the hearts of those we plant seeds in.
One of the more notable passages in the bible about planting seeds is found in the book of Luke.
“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Luke 8:14-15
We are called to be good soil. I pray that my children are “good soil” that receives the word of the Lord and that it takes root in their lives. As parents, we are called to plant the seeds of the gospel in their little hearts.
So how do we plant seeds? We read them scripture. We set an example by our actions. We talk about the gospel message and what Jesus did for them by dying in their place and then we pray that God grows that message in their hearts.
We are also called to abide and stay rooted in the Lord after we have accepted that gospel message.
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” John 15:4-6
Apart from the Lord, we can do nothing, like a branch cannot grow apart from it vine.
“Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” Colossians 2:7
“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
When we stay rooted in the Lord, we are continually getting nutrients from Him. No matter what comes our way, we are prepared.
These are all wonderful verses to pray over your children who have Jesus in their hearts. We should be praying that they stay rooted in the Lord and his word.
Not only are we called to plant seeds, we are also called to get rid of things that are not good for us, or “pull weeds” if you will.
“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2
God prunes us of impurities, of dead branches so that new, healthy branches can grow.
This can be super challenging to do for ourselves, but I think it is so important to pray for God to reveal things in our lives that are not pointing us towards Him, then pray for the strength to remove those things from our lives. Maybe it’s social media for you. Maybe it’s a group that you’re involved in that changes you instead of you changing them. Maybe it’s a type of music or a tv show. Whatever it is that is taking you away from God, weed it!
We are responsible for teaching our kids how to do this as well. We need to be on the lookout for “weeds” in our kid’s lives. Maybe it’s a video game, or tv show. Maybe it’s another child. Maybe it’s a teacher or leader. These can be dirty situations and conversations but you’ve got to get down in the dirt momma and clean up the weeds in your kid’s lives. That’s why it’s so important that we do it ourselves as an example, so they can keep it clean themselves later.
Proverbs 22:6 ““Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it”. If we teach our children what it means to stay rooted in the Lord, they will remember.
So, plants those seeds of truth. Pray that they fall on “good soil”. Then get dirty and pull weeds when they pop up!
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