Lillies

During my devotion time one morning I read Matthew 6: 28-29.....it says,"SO why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lillies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

IN reading this I decided to investigate how lillies grow....maybe there was a hidden truth in these words from Jesus? The insight I discovered has come back to me over and over....

1) True lillies have special characteristics that differentiate them from other "lily" plants.
2) The bulb is usually the most distinguishing characteristic. It does not have a protective outer coating
3) A true lily is never dormant. (inactive)
4) Lilies are prolific (i had to look that one up). It means they are highly productive, producing much fruit and many offspring.
5) Lily bulbs must carefully be protected from drying out.
6) No other condition is mroe important to the well- being of the lilies than DRAINAGE.
7) Lilies benefit from deep soil preparation.

I thought on these for a long time and the Lord revealled to me many truths about myself and each of us as believers.

Really we can't grow ourselves. A plant grows without any effort of its own. A child grows without trying to stretch his body before the time is right. When I work in my own effort to gain spiritual growth I accomplish nothing. When I worry about tomorrow, when I dwell on the past, I miss the moment I have right now. He wants to cultivate me in His own way.

The protective covering I may have around my heart, however thin it might be, keeps the rain and dew from falling on it. This makes me think of the Word and how I so desperately need it to penetrate the hard places of my heart. Any barrier I have in my soul can cause me to fade and wilt like a plant hidden away in a dark place.

We have to learn to abide in Him. Abide in the Vine. Then we will not be so concerned with ourselves....we will be looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is the Gardener, we are in the garden. He is the Potter, we are the Clay. Trust HIM.