Consider the lilies

‘It is the spring time. The plants and trees and flowers are slowly wakening from their winter sleep. Christ said “consider the lilies”, and they have many lessons to teach us. The wonder of creation in all its riches and beauty speaks volumes about the Creator. Every blade of grass is a miracle, if we look inside it with a microscope there is a world of organization and planning. This should give us a sense of wonder and awe about the greatness of our God.

Gardens
There are many references to gardens in the Bible. Man was placed in the Garden of Eden and given the task of nurturing it and enjoying it. Sadly Adam failed by disobeying God. From then on he was put out of the garden and the ground would produce thorns and thistles.

God's Garden in the world
This is His people. Each believer is planted there by God and He prepares the ground, protects and supplies His people with all that they need. There are also weeds in this garden planted by Gods enemy (Mt.13:28). Some are very like the true plants. Some weeds are removed though the Gardener leaves some to be dealt with later so that He will not damage the plant. Some plants have to be pruned to make them more healthy. The means God uses are His providence, His word and  Spirit.

There are many pests in this garden attacking the spiritual growth – the world and its allure, the flesh with all its discouragements, distractions and weaknesses, the devil with all his hosts trying to sow unbelief and false ideas. But God has planted a principle of life in His own plants which none of the enemies can take away. Sometimes God transplants some of His young and tender plants to His garden above. Others He leaves to mature before He transplants them. Some of the weeds He removes early but others He leaves for a time, but in the end He gathers them to be burnt (Mt.13:30).

God's garden in the heart
When a person comes to know Christ, God plants a seed of life in the heart and the first shoots of that planting are faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and a love for Him. The seed is placed in very unpromising soil full of weeds and many enemies. The ground is prepared by Gods Spirit and the seed of grace is nourished by the person and work of our Lord. Growth may be feeble at first, but in spite of Satan's attempts to extinguish the spark of grace, it only grows stronger through the fertilizer of the Spirit. There are many deep rooted weeds in this garden such as unbelief, selfishness, etc., and much painful pruning is required.
Who is the gardener? It is God by His Son and Spirit. Unlike the first gardener in Eden He never fails and never will. He never sleeps and no wild beasts can damage this garden. He loves to walk about in it and savour the beauty of His flowers.

Life out of death
Ever since sin came into the first garden, death and decay has been the inevitable consequence. The beautiful flowers which we see today will soon wither and die. Even trees which live for hundreds of years will eventually die. But there is another principle at work. It is wonderful how new life appears where everything seems so dead. Trees lose their leaves to make way for the buds of the next year. The colour red often appears on these buds. It seems to be a pointer to a greater resurrection. Christ said ” Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone” (Jn.12:24) This is even more wonderful that through the death of Christ, new life comes to a dead world and this is a life that will never end. From this death comes life and abundant provision for His people – His own flowers that He has planted.
And for His people in this world death is the gateway to a more glorious life. May we then – each one that reads these words - seek the source of life, for He said “ Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (Mt.12:24).

Donald Mackay