The Living Word: A Daily Devotional with Jeff & Dale from The Jenkins Institute
The Living Word is a daily devotional featuring Scripture and encouragement from Jeff and Dale of The Jenkins Institute. Each episode offers a thoughtful reading to coincide with the daily devotional guides from our annual devotional books. They are designed to help listeners begin or end their day grounded in God’s Word.
The Living Word: A Daily Devotional with Jeff & Dale from The Jenkins Institute
Week 20: Thursday, The Gardener Gets the Glory
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My grandfather was a master gardener. He maintained a large garden at
my house and a smaller one at his house. He grew everything imaginable.
If he were still alive, he’d tell me not to phrase it that way. He would say
that God grew it. My grandfather would never take credit for the produce
from his garden. He’d always say, “Look what God gre
Welcome to Hearing God's Stories, a daily devotional on the parables presented by the Jenkins Institute.
SPEAKER_01Chapter twenty Thursday The Gardener Gets The Glory Today's Scripture Ezekiel chapter fifteen verse seven by Chris McCurley and this is John Arvin. And I will set my face against them. Though they escape from the fire, the fire shall yet consume them, and you will know that I am the Lord when I set my face against them. My grandfather was a master gardener. He maintained a large garden at my house and a smaller one at his house. He grew everything imaginable. If he were still alive, he'd tell me not to phrase it that way. He would say that God grew it. My grandfather would never take credit for the produce from his garden. He'd always say, Look what God grew. He believed that God was the true gardener and deserved all the glory. The gardener gets all the glory, and do you know why? Because he tends to the vine. He does the pruning. There would be no garden, no vine, and thus no fruit without him. Fruit bearing is a direct result of your connection to the vine. It's your relationship with the vine that makes you productive. God wants you to see his work displayed in your life. That glorifies the gardener. Your fruitfulness says something wonderful about him. It magnifies him. Israel was the vine, God was the gardener. The vine died not because the gardener failed to do his job, but because the vine grew wild. God's response was to cut off the vine and throw it in the fire. This course of action wasn't just for the sake of punishment, it was also a reminder, and you will know that I am the Lord when I set my face against them. God's face was turned toward them as he cultivated them and grew them, but their rebellion brought about his rejection. The vine life is the best life. God wants all of us to experience this life. Let God grow you and give him all the glory. Today I will seek to glorify God by displaying the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
SPEAKER_00You've been listening to Hearing God's Stories, the Parables of the Bible. Thank you for joining us for the Living Word. For more encouragement and ministry resources, visit the Jenkins Institute.com, and may God's richest blessings be yours, is our prayer for you.