Tending The Grass

Devotional for Monday, July 21, 2008 by Julie Bowles

In the spring, our neighbourhood was busy with people working on their lawns after a long winter. People were out raking, seeding, replacing sections with rolls of sod, and cutting their grass. In the early spring, we did not have a lot of rain, and to me, it seemed like the lawn was taking awhile to green up and come alive. After two days of rain, though, the lawn turned green and lush, and I didn't have to do a thing to it. The rain did it all for me!

Colossians 2:6-7 - So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (NIV)

Our Christian walk is a lot like a lawn. The Word of God is like the seed that starts and nurtures our growth in Christ. God is like the gardener who lavishes a lot of TLC (tender loving care) on us and alerts us to the weeds, the trials and temptations, that threaten to choke out our new life in Christ. As we mature, our spiritual roots grow deeper and stronger in Him, and the weeds of temptation become easier to recognize and get rid of. When the bugs of trials and tribulations attack our roots in Christ and threaten to stunt or even kill our spiritual growth, we can strengthen them by applying more of the fertilizer of God's Word.

Psalm 72:6-7 - He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. In his days the righteous will flourish. (NIV)

Under the pressures and stresses of the hot summer of life, like a lawn, our spiritual life may at times go dormant and seem like it is dead, not appearing to grow at all. Then in the Lord's mercy, a precious rain of revival may fall, and like the grass, our relationship with the Lord seems to awake overnight, as it takes in the nourishment from the rain. When we need an infusion from the Lord, He waits patiently for us to call to Him, and He is never late. His timing is perfect.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, we thank You for all that You did on the cross for us. We didn't deserve the price that You paid. We recognize that our salvation was not of our doing, but rather by Your love, grace, and mercy, it is given to us. Lord, help us to drink in the gentle rains that You send down on us, and help us to remain strong in You through the storms. May we also be a people who bring life to others in the garden who do not know Your love and mercy. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Julie Bowles <julieanni@rogers.com>
Barrie, Ontario, Canada

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