Digging Your Family Garden (1)
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the month of August. I pray God delivers your desired miracle and testimony this month in Jesus’ name! In this edition, I will reveal some very vital secrets for a successful family life. Therefore, I shall be examining Digging Your Family Garden.
The first assignment ever given to man was to keep and dress the garden God had placed him in. Keeping a garden implies a process that requires a farmer to dig around the plants as he prunes and tends them. In the same vein, marriage and family are a type of garden planted by God Himself for your pleasure, abundance and fulfilment.
The dictionary defines a garden as a piece of ground used for growing things, such as flowers, fruits, vegetables, etc. However, this garden is not ordinary; according to the Scripture, it is full of treasures.
What is a treasure? It is a highly valued object, which you can trade with to make great profits. This means there are highly valued objects in the family garden that can be traded with profitably to bring you out of the realm of the natural to the supernatural, lack and want into super-abundance and out of problems into fulfilment. However, it is important to understand that treasures are buried deep in the earth. You never see treasures lying around on the surface, waiting for anybody to pick them up. So, before you can lay hold on them, you must do some digging. This also applies to marriage and family; digging is required to have access to the treasures in the home. You will observe I used the word digging, not wishing. This means you cannot get the treasures in marriage by wishing. There is this saying, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride?” Wishes are not horses, so you cannot stay in your house and say, “How I wish I could enjoy the treasures in the family.” Do you want the treasures of peace, joy, fulfilment and satisfaction? Then, you will do some practical digging for those treasures. However, you cannot dig for your family treasures with a digger; there are tools you require (both spiritual and practical).
The tools required include:
The first tool to accessing the treasures in the marriage garden is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, or the struggle continues. God instituted marriage and placed man in the garden, so He alone knows where the treasures in that marriage garden are located. until He shows you where those treasures are, all your efforts will be eternally fruitless. As it is written: …For without me ye can do nothing(John 15:5). That is why you cannot make it without Him.
The second tool is, you need wisdom. Every wise farmer knows that in digging for treasures, wisdom is inevitable. Any careless digging could even destroy the very treasures you are seeking for. For instance, there is a technique required in harvesting yam tubers so they don’t get destroyed. If you apply the technique used in harvesting maize, the yams will be useless. It is the same with the treasures in the marriage garden. The Bible says: Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established (Proverbs 24:3). Your family can only be built and established through the instrument of wisdom.
What is wisdom? Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge. The Bible says wisdom is hearing the sayings of our Lord Jesus Christ and doing them (Matthew 7:24-25). It demands you take steps in applying correctly all you have learnt of God in your family life, and only then will you reap the fruits of a successful home. The place of wisdom in building a successful marriage cannot be over-emphasised. In fact, the Bible says: Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding (Proverbs 4:7). Wisdom is the principal thing on which all other things rest.
Below is a sister’s testimony, which can also be reproduced in your family:
When I was ready for marriage, I noticed some things were working against me. Meanwhile, I was not a serious Christian, but when I re-dedicated my life fully to Jesus in 1992, it became obvious I lacked wisdom and counsel. After I joined the church, I began to practice the depth of understanding in God’s Word shared, and my life and marriage acquired meaning and direction. My family has increased remarkably, and now, I apply myself to the wisdom of God that He has imparted in me by reason of the teachings and ministrations I get here. I return the glory to God! – Opara C. C.
However, the wisdom needed to access the treasures in the marriage garden only comes from God. To access this wisdom, you must be born again. If you are not born again, please say this prayer of faith: Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner, and I cannot help myself. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Precious Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the Living God. From today, Lord Jesus, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now, I am Born Again.
Congratulations! You are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave or forsake you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21). With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace, in Jesus’ name! Please write or call to share your testimonies with me through oyedepofaitha@gmail.com OR 08141320204 and 07026385437.
For more insight, these books, authored by me, are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian Bookstores: Covenant Pathways to a Hitch-free Marriage, Experiencing the Best of Marriage, Family and Parenting, Making Marriage Work, Building a Successful Family, Success in Marriage (Co-Authored) Marriage Covenant.
