We’re blessed with a huge garden and a reasonably sized
vegetable garden. Spring is in the air and that means there’s a lot of work to
be done in the garden. I’m preparing the soil, pulling weeds, pruning trees and
bushes, sowing seeds and planting out seedlings I’ve already grown inside our
house. And all that work is focused on just one thing: growth.
Everything that’s planted is
supposed to grow.
It’s a really simple principle. I’m pruning the rose bushes so
they’ll grow strong and have beautiful flowers. I’m preparing the soil and make
it loose so my carrots will grow big. I’m watering my seedlings daily so
they’ll grow strong enough to be planted outside. I’m digging deep to pull out
weeds so the roots of the ‘real’ flowers have room to grow deep. I’m doing
everything I can to facilitate growth, because that’s what it’s all about in a
garden.
Everything that’s planted is supposed to
grow.
But it’s the same for us, isn’t it? God has planted you in the
church or ministry you’re in right now and His goal for you is to grow as a person
and as a leader. He doesn’t want you to produce just one or two apples, He
wants you to produce abundant fruit. So are you growing right now, in
leadership and in your relationship with God?
Everything that’s planted is supposed to
grow.
That means you too. So are you doing everything you can to
facilitate growth for yourself? Are you making the right choices, doing those
things that will help you produce fruit in your life? Here are some things you
could do to promote growth for yourself:
Fertilize
Feed yourself with the Word of God to grow daily. Make reading
your Bible your number one priority. Also: make time to read books. Today a
reader, tomorrow a leader sounds like a cliché, but it’s true. If
you want to grow as a leader, you have got to read, you’ve got to become
a lifelong learner. If you’re not intentional about this, it’s never
gonna happen so block a few hours each week to read.
Pull weeds
Stinging nettles are a big problem in our garden and they’re
very hard to get rid of because they have deep roots that are widely spread
out. If you want to get rid of them, you have to dig deep and really pull out
each and every root. What sin keeps popping up in your life and is hindering
your growth? What sins have you become too comfortable with? Pull them out,
roots and all and get rid of them once and forever. Remember that weeds are far
easier to pull out when they’re still small and the same goes for sins. Remain
vigilant about sins in your life and pull them out as soon as
you spot them. It will make room for some serious growth.
Prune
Accept that pruning is God’s way of preparing you for bigger
growth. If you don’t prune certain trees or plants, they’ll put all their
energy into developing beautiful leaves, rather then a lot of fruit. So God may
decide to prune you, to take things away from you or allow hardships in your
life to deal with. Rejoice in this season of pruning, for He’s preparing you to
bear a lot of fruit later on!
Sow seeds
Sow the right habits in your life, those that honor God and help
you do your work better. Every good habit starts with a simple decision to do
the right thing. Having a daily quiet time, spending time in prayer, taking
care of your body, eating right, having a Sabbath day, these are all habits
that will help you produce fruit. What bad
habits do you need to get rid, which habits are holding you back of and what
good ones do you need to sow?
Plan
If I want to be able to harvest ripe tomatoes come August, I
have to start prepping in March. I need to sow seeds indoors, plant out the
strongest seedlings into bigger pots, acclimatize them to being outside,
transplant them into the vegetable garden and then keep watering and pruning
them to make sure they develop well. Growth is always intentional, always
planned. It never ‘just happens’. If you want to grow, be intentional about it,
plan it. What areas do you think you need to grow in? Define those and make a
plan.
Everything that’s planted is supposed to
grow. What will you do to grow right now where God has planted you?
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