When I decided to revive my garden, I planted chili peppers in anticipation of the later rains. However, fowls kept invading the garden, causing damage to the pepper plants. In an attempt to keep the birds away, I decided to build a scarecrow using a dried branch of a “Benin ju-ju tree” that I found within the compound. Unfortunately, the scarecrow did not serve its purpose and instead attracted more fowls. I resorted to the traditional method of guarding the garden by throwing stones and making noise to scare off these fowls.
After two months, following a rainy day, I noticed tender branches and fresh green leaves sprouting through the scarecrow made from the dried Benin ju-ju tree branch. This sight amazed me, as I had considered the branch to be completely lifeless. It made me reflect on the wonder of God’s power to bring forth new life from what appears to be dead.
Indeed, it is God the Father who brings the bud to bloom and the flower to fruit. The Lord bids us to consider how the lilies grow; the plants and flowers grow not by their care, anxiety, or effort, but by receiving that which God has furnished to minister to their life. As disciples of Christ, we cannot, by any anxiety or efforts of ourselves, secure spiritual growth. Just as the plant grows by receiving from its surroundings that which sustains its life (air, sunshine, and food), such is Christ to His disciples.
It remains our decision to choose whether we will be set free from the bondage of sin, to share the glorious liberty the father provides. Christ, our Lord, bids us to remain in Him for He is the source of every right impulse. He alone can implant in the human heart enmity against sin. Every desire for truth and purity, every conviction of our sinfulness, is evidence of His abiding presence in our hearts.
Who has our warmest affections and our best energies? If we are Christ’s, then our thoughts must be with Him; our dearest thoughts should be of Him. All we have and are, is to be consecrated to Him.
Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first task during your quiet time. Consecration is a daily affair; surrender all your plans to Him to be carried out or given up as His providence leads.
We are just as dependent upon Christ to live a holy life as is the branch upon the parent stock for growth and fruitfulness. Apart from Him, we have no life; we have no power to resist temptation or grow in grace and holiness. Abiding and drawing life from Him, we will flourish and not wither nor be fruitless, and we will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water – evergreen.
