Expect Weeds!!

How Does Your Garden Grow? Part 5
Flowers take a lot of work to grow, but weeds don’t take any work to grow, do they? They take work to make them NOT grow! The weeds in our spiritual garden are the same way. Christians striving to live by the example of Christ are going to grow good fruit. We are striving to allow the Holy Spirit to develop fruits in our life as Galatians 5:22-23 explains: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control."

Sins in the Christian’s life are just like weeds. Left there to grow and multiply, these sins will begin to take over our lives. They will begin to choke out the good fruit growing in our lives. But, God’s Holy Spirit will help us get control over our weeds, if we will live by the Spirit.

"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful natures. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." Galatians 5:16

We know that we were given the gift of the Holy Spirit at baptism because we are told that in Acts 2:38-39: "Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call."

And I don’t know about you, but it helps me to know that God’s Spirit is in me and ready to help me grow the kind of fruit that God wants me to. I can not do it on my own. God is ready, willing, and able to help us rid our spiritual gardens of those pesky weeds!