As with many of Jesus the Christ's stories, He used the garden-like analogy to speak about the Kingdom of Heaven. The goal of any good gardener is to cultivate plants that produce abundant fruit. Good seed, fertile soil, proper nutrients, sufficient water and plenty of sunshine are all necessary elements for a productive garden. Kingdom gardens, which should be showcases of Kingdom culture, are distinguished by a presence of the King Himself in the lives of His citizens. Moses, the Hebrew servant and leader who brought the ancient Israelites out of slavery in Egypt so they could be come the chosen people of God understood the importance of distinctiveness of the Divine Presence. He made this statement to the Lord God:
Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people. ”And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”
Keep this in mind, the power of the Garden Principle drives from the presence of the Gardener. In the "garden" of His children's lives, the Gardener's presence is revealed in at least two ways: A vibrant life and abundant, lasting fruit--the greatest of which is love. Jesus stated it this way to His disciples:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit...
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing...
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love...
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you...
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.
True Kingdom Citizens are distinct from the rest of the world. This is because their lives bear the unmistakable mark of the presence of the true King. This King has come to reclaim His earthly domain from the pretender (Satan), who seized control thousands of years ago. Life under the pretender's evil rule is characterized by greed, selfishness, brutality, empty religion and oppression. But the fruit of a cultivated garden is:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Remember, everyone is looking for the Kingdom of Heaven, even though most of them do not realize it.
Exodus 33:13-16 John 15:1-2, 4-5, 8-9, 12, 16-17 Galatians 5:22-23
~~W.R. Luchie
Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people. ”And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”
Keep this in mind, the power of the Garden Principle drives from the presence of the Gardener. In the "garden" of His children's lives, the Gardener's presence is revealed in at least two ways: A vibrant life and abundant, lasting fruit--the greatest of which is love. Jesus stated it this way to His disciples:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit...
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing...
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love...
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you...
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.
True Kingdom Citizens are distinct from the rest of the world. This is because their lives bear the unmistakable mark of the presence of the true King. This King has come to reclaim His earthly domain from the pretender (Satan), who seized control thousands of years ago. Life under the pretender's evil rule is characterized by greed, selfishness, brutality, empty religion and oppression. But the fruit of a cultivated garden is:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Remember, everyone is looking for the Kingdom of Heaven, even though most of them do not realize it.
Exodus 33:13-16 John 15:1-2, 4-5, 8-9, 12, 16-17 Galatians 5:22-23
~~W.R. Luchie
