New Life Cultivated

New Life

Last fall, I planted some peony bulbs in my garden. Peonies are one of my favorite things! As I prepared to plant these peony bulbs, I carefully spaced out and dug holes for these new bulbs to go in. I put them in the ground, covered them with dirt and then…I waited. The winter was cold and long. No new life was found in those months. But as winter came to an end, rain came and the sun began to warm the earth. Just a few weeks ago, I saw the new baby sprouts of my peonies break through the dirt. New life!

How true is this of our spiritual reality? If you have a relationship with Jesus, at some point, you were first introduced to the gospel – the good news that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived, died and rose again for sinners and that He can save us if we turn from our sins and trust in Him. Someone shared this good news with us, planting a seed in the soil of our hearts. Maybe others watered that seed over time, continuing to share the gospel with you and point you to Jesus. Then God, in His perfect time, produced new life in you. The Holy Spirit softened your heart, opened your eyes and the miraculous happened – you believed this good news and God gave you eternal life. A new sprout of saving faith in Jesus burst forth in your soul!

Spring is a season that should remind us of the miraculous reality of our new life in Jesus Christ. We were once cold and dead like the winter we experienced in Indiana only a month ago… but through saving faith in Christ, we are now a new creation. “The old has passed away and see the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

But new life in Christ is not just a moment, it’s a total re-orienting of the soul, and it is proceeded by a lifetime of spiritual growth.

Growth Takes Time

Did you know that peonies typically take three years of growth before they begin to flower? As I have begun to learn how to cultivate and care for plants, I have learned the necessity of patience in gardening. Now that my new peonies have developed small buds in the ground, I will begin the years-long task of fertilizing, watering and weeding. Without proper care and attention, they will struggle to grow and flourish, and the beautiful, bright flowers that I eagerly anticipate may take even longer to bloom.

When the Spirit of God comes and breathes new life into our souls, it’s like a new small sprout that bursts from the dirt – life! But we aren’t instantly made mature in our faith. We have much to learn about God and how to live in a way that pleases Him and shines His light to others. We need to take intentional steps to nurture our spiritual lives. We won’t become like Jesus or love Him more deeply on accident. So, how do we tend the garden of our souls?

1. We fertilize

Fertilizer is an essential step in providing a plant with the nutrients it needs to build a strong root system and a healthy plant. Just as fertilizer is healthy food for plants, our souls need similar nourishment. In Matthew, Jesus declares, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” What is one way that we can nourish our souls, develop deep roots of faith and see fruit develop in our lives? Read and study the Bible. In the study of God’s Word, we will grow in our understanding of God’s heart, God’s character and God’s plan of redemption for the world. When we meditate on God’s Word, when we memorize it and treasure it, our love for our Savior will grow. As we pursue Him through His living and active Word, our desires will be transformed and we will become more like Christ. Our souls need the nourishment of God’s Word.

2. We water

Psalm 27:4 says, “I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple.” Oh, that my heart would join David in this cry more often! The pursuit of God’s presence is the pursuit of joy and true satisfaction. Not only has He given us His Word, but also, He welcomes us to come and enjoy His presence through prayer. Prayer is the primary means through which we engage in relationship with God. Through prayer we praise Him for who He is and what He has done, we listen to His voice, we implore Him to intervene in our lives and on behalf of others, we confess our sins to Him and find healing. Prayer transforms our faith. It is the place we can be most real with God and know that He hears us, cares and will act even if we can’t see the whole picture. In fact, He promises that if we seek Him, we will find Him if we seek Him with all that we are (Jeremiah 29:13).

3. We weed out sin

No one likes to weed. It’s tedious and it can be painful (those thistles hurt!). But if you don’t weed around your plants, the weeds can take over and choke out the life of your plant. No, you can’t lose your salvation but sin can creep in and hinder our growth if we’re not careful. Apathy, laziness, idolatry and isolation are all “weeds” that can keep us from growing spiritually. Sin not only affects our lives and our relationships with others, but also it hurts our relationship with God. We must root out the sin in our lives if we desire to become more like Christ and have close relationship with Him. It’s hard work and we can’t do it alone – we need God’s people and God’s Spirit to help us. But praise God that He provides us with both.

4. We wait and we trust the One who produces the fruit

Lastly, we wait. Spiritual growth takes time. Sometimes, the Lord allows us to experience immediate fruit. We pray for patience with a loved one and He grants it. We pray for compassion for the hurting and He gives it. We seek understanding in God’s Word and we find it. Our good Father does indeed help us when we ask! But that doesn’t mean that our patience is perfectly enduring or our compassion for others is unceasing, or our understanding of God’s Word and our love for Him is complete. No. Spiritual growth is a process.

But we have hope. Paul speaks this word of encouragement to the church in Thessalonica in Thessalonians 5, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he WILL do it.” The Master Gardener who gave us new life in Him will continue to mature us so that we can experience full life in Him. We can trust Him. His promises are true and His character is unchanging.

This Easter, we have much to celebrate! God has given us life and we have that life because not only did Jesus die on the cross for our sins – He conquered sin and death through His resurrection LIFE! We should reflect on and rejoice in that reality this spring. And as we continue to walk this life with Jesus, we can trust God to continue to produce growth in us, making us increasingly more like Him so that we might reflect Him to the world.

My peonies are small sprouts this spring, but I look forward to the day, with much cultivating and care, that they will bloom brightly and display beauty to all who encounter them. And I have great hope in our Father’s promise to do the same in us.