By: Emily Lehner
The moment I got home from school this past May, I began planning for my garden. I had extravagant plans. It would reap great amounts of vegetables and fruits for me to proudly provide my family with over the course of my time at home. Needless to say, the carrot, spinach, green bean and tomato seeds I planted quite a while ago haven’t exactly produced what I expected. Actually, they haven’t produced anything, and this has left me feeling rather discouraged.
The reason I know the seeds haven’t produced anything is because when I arrived back at my garden to check their progress, I found numerous green sprouts appearing from the ground. I was elated! I had made something grow from the ground, or so I had thought. To be sure, I got on my phone and Googled a photo of what green bean sprouts looked like.
I was disappointed to find that the green sprouts in my garden weren’t exactly what I hoped. They were, instead, weeds growing in my garden. How was I supposed to know the difference if I hadn’t used Google to show me?
Much like the difference between weeds and vegetable sprouts is necessary to notice and understand, so is the difference between sound doctrine and heresy. We, as followers of Christ, can’t expect the production of fruit without understanding right from wrong, or the bare essentials of what it takes to produce fruit.
As Christians, we must turn to Scripture. 1 Timothy 3:16-17 says,
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
It is essential for us to spend time reading God’s word. Without the wisdom that results from time spent in Scripture, we are unable to discern right from wrong, or sound doctrine from heresy. Scripture should be something we base our entire lives around (Joshua 1:8).
Being active in Scripture is a daily necessity. We can’t neglect the need for water, sunlight, and pruning. Like our gardens need water and sunlight for nourishment, we also need revival through time spent with God. We need time to slow down and be still, resting in His presence. It is also crucial to remember to prune our faith also. Sinful things have the ability to make their way into our lives. Every day, even possibly every moment, our thoughts, actions and words can be overcome by worldly desires. This is why careful, routine pruning is needed in a faith-led life. It is imperative to weed out what the world is feeding you that isn’t Scriptural-based.
2 Corinthians 13:5 states,
5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
Today, I would like to encourage you to be positive you are equipped for a faith-led life. Be discerning as you go through your days, making sure you are seeking Christ in all you do.
Written by Emily Lehner, a writer for the Alumni Center and a sophomore Writing major at IWU. She is active on the cross country and track teams. She is passionate about using her writing skills to share the good news of Christ with others and writes often on her personal blog at www.emilylehner.wordpress.com.
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