Weed it and Reap

Written by Ann-Margret Hovsepian

Someone has said: “It is not enough for a gardener to love flowers; he must also hate weeds.”

Tell me about it. Boy, do I hate those weeds in my garden. I see my poor, little flowers being choked and smothered and I just want to yank out those nasty weeds and shake them and . . . and . . . well, some of them are too hard so I just leave them there. It’s just too much effort. I guess I’ll have to settle for a less-than-perfect garden. Maybe if my flowers turn out really nice, people won’t notice my weeds.

Okay, I’m just joking. But sometimes it is easier to ignore the weeds. Because I’m new at gardening and not strong enough to pull out those deep roots, I actually have to break the soil and sort of dig out the weed (or ask my dad to pull it out!)

Nurture Your Garden

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. — Galatians 5:22-23

Apples are a natural result of an appleseed uniting with the elements necessary for growth. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the natural result of the union of God's Spirit with your spirit. You have potential for fruitful living, because Jesus is your source! You have the ability to manifest every one of the gifts of the Spirit, because He is the vine and you are a branch! Because He is love, you can love. Because He is peace, you can have peace.

If you are lacking fruit, it is because God's Spirit cannot freely flow through you. Determine to cut away every lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and pride of life that hinders fruit from coming forth. Nurture the fruit of a Spirit-filled life with the Word of God and prayer and watch your fruit grow!

Does anything hinder the flow of His Spirit in Your life today? Tear down the walls and barriers that hinder His Spirit. Let His Spirit flow freely through your life.