Better Homes and Gardens....from a God Perspective

    "Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns." -- James 4:3
    Hello, everyone! So here is a Scripture I've been tackling and I want to share some of my thoughts so far on it.
   I like to think of this, not literally, for now, but metaphorically. So, let us take "unplowed ground" as an area in our lives untouched or something not touched for a very long time. And remember, if you haven't plowed ground in a very long time, imagine weeds and all these overgrown plants hiding it.
   Okay, so let's make this choice and "break up" this unplowed ground. That means we reveal this place. Great, so we see ground. Now what?
    Notice God says, (even after He says break up the unplowed ground), do not sow on thorns. This implies thorns are there INSIDE the ground. When we plowed it, we revealed it. Hmmm.....so what can thorns represent? Hurt. After all, when have you grabbed a thorn and said, " Wow! This feels great!"
   This brings me to a topic I've been hearing about  a lot lately. We have to deal with the hurt and bitterness we have against each other or perhaps even towards ourselves. But, we need to make that choice to plow back that ground to reveal that which we've been hiding.
   But notice, God doesn't ask us to uproot the thorns ourselves...that's where He comes in.  He pulls out those thorns for us. He uproots them and rids us of them. After all, He is the Gardener. And where's that?
    Hey! Lookee here: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener." --John 15:1
   So, the Gardener ( the Father) pulls up those planted hurts and bitterness. Now we can sow our seeds. And through those seeds grows a tree that bears fruit. And that same Gardener (the Father) will cut off the branches that does not beat fruit.(Those branches are things in our life that are not from Him. But He is gracious and so cuts them.) Yes, it is going to hurt when He keeps us growing straight, but He knows what He's doing. And don't forget, when a branch is cut off, it's not necessarily cut off slowly. It is quite abrupt. 
    I recommend reading all of John 15. There is so much to get out of it! 
   And to end this, remember it is all for HIS glory!
"This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." -- John 15:8