Garden Prep

^“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”  Galatians 6:7-9

Given the choice of what step in gardening is the toughest, I would say it is the initial preparation.  I can remember way back to my childhood when my family moved out of Houston, a little further north to the then small town of Magnolia, TX.  With almost a full acre of land, my parents saw the potential in utilizing much of that space to grow a garden.  THAT meant preparing the chosen part of the back yard to become a garden.  With a good-size Troy-Bilt tiller, they began to break up the ground; churning the dirt and pulling up the grass.  Next, all that grass had to be raked out and removed.  That alone took a lot of time and was very tasking.  However, it was essential that this was done.  My mother could go into further details about all that prep work, better than I can remember.  Hey, I was barely starting Kindergarten.  What do you expect?

My wife and I began working on our back yard, this past weekend.  I also began planning the preparation for our own garden.  I need to remove the landscaping mulch that was used and a little bit of the dirt.  This will allow room for some fresh, fertilizer-enriched soil that will allow our seedlings to establish strong roots.  This will involve raking and shoveling out the mulch, uprooting weeds and plants that were already there when we moved onto this property, breaking up the ground, mixing in the fresh soil, digging holes for the young plants that we already have sprouting in small plant trays, and ensuring that the plants have their required amount of water and sunlight.  There are supplies to purchase.  There is plenty of sweat and sore muscles coming.  The reward is worth every bit of the fatigue that will come from preparing the garden. 

Why so much work in the beginning?  This is the vital stage that will unfold the results of our labors.  To take any shortcuts can lead to weeds invading and choking the young vegetable plants.  Or, improper soil can lead to bad seed germination, corrupting the entire plant.  There are plenty of things that could go wrong if we don’t take the time to prepare for a good crop.  Not letting anything seep in to spoil the foundations is priority in this matter.

What about the essentials in our own Christian communities?  Are we ensuring careful and proper preparation or, are we allowing improper techniques and dangerous ways of thinking to control how we choose to continue the church that was built and recorded for us in the years that followed the death and resurrection of our Savior? 

Suffice to say that wolves exist in our Christian society, leading people down a dangerous path and a very fine line on God’s expectations of His people.  I have witnessed numerous congregations promoting a single-leader foundation, instead of following the setup of a plurality of shepherds (or elders) to oversee the congregation.  While Paul instructs, in 1 Timothy 3, what the positions and qualifications of the eldership should be, I see congregations utilizing the “eldership” as nothing more than department heads.  All decisions are left with a single person.  Who is holding that one person accountable if they are established as the congregation’s authority?  The answer is: no one.  In cases that I have heard, people are losing connection within the church society.  Unity is only seen on a shallow scale.  Respect is lacking toward one another, but mostly toward the sovereignty of God.  False interpretation (or omitting altogether) of scripture is being taught.  Instead of being embraced with open arms, many are left feeling pushed out of the obvious cliques that have produced in this sort of harvest.  How can each member inside that community be assured that they are not being led astray by improper teaching?  They can’t. 

This is just the starting point.  It is nothing more than the improper preparation for what God intended to be sown.  I could continue in my observations.  However, the outcome culminates from the initial preparation.  If we, as Christians turn from God’s prescribed steps for His garden, are we not accountable for the tainted harvest that will produce?  How then can we expect to expand the God’s garden that Jesus began over 2,000 years ago?

We will all reap what we sow.  Following the Word of God will ensure a good, strong harvest.  Allowing changes or “upgrades” to His plan can (and do) result in a poor harvest.  Folks, I understand that nothing is perfect, where matters of human decision-making is concerned.  What does that mean for me, individually?  It means that I will follow the plan of preparation exactly as is required of me.  No quick solutions.  No second-guessing the main plan.  Just trying to follow the steps as closely as possible, if I hope to achieve the results that God wants.