The Unattended Garden

Proverbs 24
30-34 One day I walked by the field of an old lazybones,
and then passed the vineyard of a lout;
They were overgrown with weeds,
thick with thistles, all the fences broken down.
I took a long look and pondered what I saw;
the fields preached me a sermon and I listened:
"A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there,
sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next?
Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life,
with poverty as your permanent houseguest!" MSG

Wise and Wonderful Lord,
Your Words paint a powerful picture that causes me to stop and think about what my life will look like if I neglect spending time with You. Unattended, wild grass and weeds will grow up everywhere. The roots of thick prickly briars, my unconfessed sin, will choke out what was at one time vibrant vegetation. When I become indifferent and inattentive to Your Word, my life will fall apart like the broken down fence. O Lord have mercy on me! Show me how to guard against neglect. Don’t let me become sluggish or lazy in my walk with You.

You are the Divine Gardener. Your Word, the Holy Bible, is pure Miracle Grow for my withering soul. Every time I come to You, You faithfully water me with miracle food that perks me up, filling me with vitality. You pull the weeds and prevent them from strangling me every time I confess to my mistakes. You immediately repair the broken pieces of my life when I bring them to You in prayer. When I miss a day or two, I begin to droop imperceptibly. When I miss three or four days, I really sag downward. Eventually, I’ll die spiritually. O Lord help me to be responsible in my daily walk with You! My life depends on it.

There’s a world of wrecked believers all around me. They are lying in ruins like the broken picket fence, choked out by the unattended weeds of their own sin and shame. Many have neglected their responsibility to You for so long that they’re virtually dead. Please show me a believer who needs miraculous new life today and I’ll use the gifts You’ve given me to immerse them in Jesus, reviving their spirit for Your name sake. Amen.

How is your relationship with Christ? Are you guarding it carefully? Are you leaning on Him in the hard times, or have you abandoned Him?

Jesus loves you! He hasn’t turned from you. You’re redeemed and forgiven. He’s waiting for You to turn back to Him