[Monday's Devotional] - The Gardener

The Gardener I have a Vine growing at the end of one of the flower beds in my garden.  Each year it puts out long branches covered in leaves and sprawls around on the ground.  The only pruning it gets is when we accidentally run it over with the lawn mower; unsurprisingly I have never seen a flower, never mind a grape. So over the Easter break I decided to read up on Vine-keeping. Firstly, a vine needs a gardener who is skilled in looking after it.  When you walk into a garden you can immediately see the skill of the gardener.  If there are rows of well-maintained boarders and a veg garden overflowing with produce, you know that this is the result of a dedicated and experienced gardener. In John 15, Jesus uses the analogy of a Vine for his relationship to his disciples: 'I am the True Vine and my Father is the Gardener' John15:1 [NIV] Unlike my efforts at looking after my Vine, we have in God a very skilled gardener (see Psalm 104); as one of my university friends once flippantly remarked 'God is a creative sort of bloke'.  He knows how to look after a Vine, so that it produces an abundant crop.  Lack of fruit is not down to the lack of skill of our gardener God. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Matthew 7:16,17 [NIV] How is our garden doing; is the gardener's work evident? Do we need to spend more time in the gardener's presence?   Guy Mowbray   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!