Have you ever thought of your life as a spiritual garden? What will your spiritual garden look like when the time comes for it to bring forth the blossoms for which it was intended? What is your process of spiritual growth? Are you and I ready to bloom in the garden of God? This four-part study on your lives (and mine) as spiritual gardens gives us a look at how God views us by way of the scriptures. Get your Bible out and we will open our garden books together.

In order to make room for good spiritual growth our old natures must begin with neatly clipped gardens (or branches), pruned by the vinedresser -- God.

It says in John 15:1-4 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit HE TAKETH AWAY; and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."

Once our branches are clipped of the old, God gives us a precious reassurance: "Now ye are clean THROUGH THE WORD which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself EXCEPT it abide in the VINE; no more can ye, except ye ABIDE IN ME"

As we see Jesus as the TRUE vine with God the Father as the Proprietor of our gardens, we find that spiritual oneness we need to have with the Lord. Our relationship with God begins. Our relationship with other Christians begins as well.

Take a moment to ask yourself the following questions.

• WHAT IS your relationship to the VINE at this point?
• Are you in a place where you know HE is the soul SOURCE of your spiritual life?
• What is your relationship to the other branches on His vine?
• What kind of PRUNING PROCESS are you going through right now?

Look again at verse two. ("Every branch in me that beareth not fruit HE TAKETH AWAY...") When a branch on God's vine bears NO fruit or buds, he takes it away, but if your garden does bear flowers, there still comes the time when He needs to PURGE those petals in order for you to bear more. Why is that?

Think about this. There are two types of Christians. Both are in Christ, but one bears fruit and the other does not. If you have studied the different kinds of soil that are used for growing in our gardens (See Tilling the Soil, by Patti Walters), you have to ask yourself, "What kind of soil am I growing out of?" That soil helps to determine the kind of growth that will proceed your life and mine in Christ. The kind of Christian we choose to be determines our spiritual growth.

Although I do not know a great deal about Natural husbandry, I do know that when we propagate a leaf or stem into soil and it takes root it is a real joy watching it begin to grow. When we try to artificially "graft" a leaf or stem into a vine by mechanically attaching it, it has a very difficult time taking any vital hold, because it has no vital connection TO THAT VINE. It makes it impossible for it to get life from the vine on its own.

Those that are "mechanically" attached stand for those who believe in the "truths" of the Lord, and who might even belong to a body of believers, but unfortunately, they have no LIVING faith. They have no real desire to walk in the spirit of salvation, because they think it is too costly or they think that nothing is wrong with their particular "branch." They spend all their time walking in the flesh (in other words, doing their own thing), and have no time for a spiritual life. In other words, they do not take a firm hold of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit cannot breathe that everlasting life through them because they will not let Him. Without that life, they are incapable of bearing fruit or lovely blooms for the Lord, because everything they do is mechanical - It is in name only (Often their own!).

However those Christians who live with a desire to bear fruit to God become a VITAL connection to Christ's VINE. Their walks are not mechanical but Spirit-controlled.

Romans 8:1 and 5 say: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit."

Fruitless branches will eventually be cut off. The Bible states that clearly. God takes them away and severs the tie. He explained this with the barren fig tree. Luke 13:6-9 speaks of the barren fig tree.

"...A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: CUT IT DOWN; WHY CUMBERETH IT THE GROUND? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."

The Lord, with his love, patience and long-suffering, gives many many chances for the fig tree to bear fruit but eventually it is cut away. What He takes away eventually is no longer "in the vine." In the book of Genesis God said, "My spirit will not always strive with man."

All of our gardens need the sharpened pruning shears on a regular basis. The old needs to be cut back to allow sweetness of Holy Spirit to nourish us so we can bring forth beautiful blooms.

Mark 4:19 speaks of The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in; all which choke the word and make us unfruitful...

• The Lord must purge the cares of the world from our lives
• The Lord must purge the deceitfulness of riches from our lives
• The Lord must purge the lusts we get for other things
• The Lord must purge anything that chokes the word from our lives that make us unfruitful.

His discipline yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness in our gardens -- BLOSSOMS much LARGER than before.

Hebrews 12:11 says: "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous, nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

He purifies us through our relationship with Him and growth through His Word, and we are become filled with joy as we find wonderful communication between Him, the Vine and us, His branches. In fact, there is no limit to what our gardens will produce! OUR GOD HAS CALLED US TO BE REPRODUCERS!

Our prayer?

Oh, God, please prune us to your heart's content!
Oh, God please cut at everything in our lives that interfere with our growth in You!
Oh, God, sweeten and fertilize our lives with the power of Your Holy Spirit!
Let us be reproduced according to Your will and become those reproducers You have called us to be!