Something has been eating my tomatoes. My garden is really starting to produce an excellent crop… yet each night for the past week, I have 2 or 3 tomatoes chewed up on the ground in the morning. It is quite a puzzling mystery. I can’t find any tracks and the electric fence is on all night long. I bait my trap each night with some of those tomatoes, but I haven’t caught the little bandit. I will admit… it is starting to tick me off! But I am not going to give up… I’m going to catch the little thief… whatever it is.
You see, we have plans for those tomatoes (did I mention that we planted 43 plants). Plans to make our own pasta sauce. I really love that homemade sauce! I have carefully nurtured those plants… weeded around them… pruned them and kept them bug free. I have too much work invested to let some little varmint get in the way.
You know, my critter problem has reminded me this week that we have an enemy who wants to keep us from producing good fruit too — spiritual fruit. Paul writes, “We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.” Colossians 1:9-10 NLT
God’s plan is for us to be a fruitful garden producing a bountiful crop. He has nurtured us… given us tools to turn aside the weeds of temptation… pruned us when needed… and given us the presence of the Holy Spirit so that we can do His will. But we have a silent enemy who wants to keep us from producing the type of fruit that God expects. Satan knows that if he can keep us from producing that good fruit then it hinders us from knowing God “better and better”. And that is his sneaky plan all along.
I’m going to catch my little thief… you can count on it… my crop is too important to me to fail. Jesus told us, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 NLT My tomatoes are important to me… but not nearly as much as my soul. The Thief might be after me… but it is ok… because Jesus has given us a “rich and satisfying life”. And we are just too important to Jesus.
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