Mary, Mary quite contrary, How does your garden grow?

Paul writes in I Cor. 3 of the work that he and Apollos (Peter) did with the early Christians in Corinth, that Paul planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but it was God that caused the seed to grow. The two of them were only servants. Well, if they were servants, then how much lower must I be? How much more of a servant should I be?

Psalm 1:1-3
1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

The vision of a tree firmly planted by streams of water is a beautiful one. In my imagination, I see a large oak, growing just away from a stream whose roots have reached out to tap into that source of life. All the tree had to do was reach out to the water...the water would supply the tree with all it needed. It's not as though it were a choice for either, for while the water did not need the tree, the tree would not survive without the water...The tree needed only to stay connected to it for its life giving supply and the water, by its very nature, provided the life.

In the same way, I believe is my relationship with God. In so many words, God does not need me I don't think. Now, don't misunderstand me, I believe He has a heart and a compassion for all He has created, but whether or not my faith is active or dead, has no bearing on the nature of God. He would be the same with or without me, the Alpha and the Omega, the Great I AM. And yet, I have but to reach out to Him and He provides living water. See, it is His nature to be our provision. We need only stay in touch with Him.

Back to Paul and Apollos (I love that name...Battlestar Galactica comes to mind, Apollo and Starbuck)...Tenders of the garden have a vital role to play. The planting and watering, caring for the environment where the seed is growing, there is much that must be done to foster the right conditions. But we should never lose sight that it is God who causes the seed to grow and it is God who gives us the tools to tend.

I'm reminded lately of the tending that needs to be done in my relationships. And I'm also reminded that for God's purpose to be effected, my role cannot be played out of pride or conceit. There can be no selfish ambition in it. As I plug into relationships, it must be as though all I am doing is helping clear a path for others to reach out to His everlasting supply of life. If Paul and Apollos are only tenders, then I am fit to carry neither shovel nor spade. However, tapping in to the source of Life, I will tend just the same.

Psalm 139:23-24
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

This is my prayer...today for sure, tomorrow i hope. I am so thankful to God for all the blessings he has allowed me to share. His provision for my life is surely nothing that I deserve, but a gift from Him...to remind me I'm His. I am His, and want to more faithfully work for Him, burdened only by His cause.

Lord, make me wholly Yours. My hope is You. Prepare me for the care of those you have put in my life. Let Your hope for them be my hope for them. And show me how to clear the path for them to more easily tap into You. Amen.

The soundtrack of my life today...
My Hope is You
All the Roots Grow Deeper When it's Dry