Lessons from the Master Gardener

By Donna J. Ashby

Lessons From The Master Gardener is a parallel of botanical and Biblical principles that enhance the application of scripture in a believer's life. The nine chapters start with soil preparation and progress through harvesting the crop. Each chapter springboards from a scriptural passage related to agricultural process. A divine
picture is drawn of the relationship between the physical world in which we live and the spiritual realities we need to know in order to
live a victorious life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: May 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781489735881

Donna J. Ashby

Her father was a horticulture major in college. As a result, she was surrounded with beautiful gardens and grew up with a love for the feel of soil in her hands. She has been gardening for over forty years. She developed knowledge of growing plants through extensive reading and then putting what she learned into practice. She has a BSN in nursing and thus has a scientific background. Much of the botanical and scientific data she gathered from reference books to maintain accuracy. She spent three years on the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ which provided her seminary level courses on a broad range of Biblical topics. Spiritual truth continues to be a motivational factor in her life. She ministered to college age students for 3 years with Campus Crusade for Christ. There she took several seminary level classes in the Bible. She has taught Bible studies at her local church. As an avid gardener for over 40 years, she has enjoyed growing and propagating plants.

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Copyright © 2021 Donna J. Ashby.

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scriptures taken from NIV

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3587-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3588-1 (e)

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 05/18/2021

Contents

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Introduction

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Introduction

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God loves a garden! He loves it from the moment of conception. He relishes the smell of newly turned soil, the first signs of plants emerging from their seeds and poking their heads through the soil, the leaves spreading out like someone taking a big stretch, the flower buds, and finally the bearing of fruit, the ultimate climax. At the very beginning, at creation, God chose a garden in which to place Adam and Eve. The Garden of Eden was a perfect place. There were no weeds, none of the usual garden pests, and the climate was always ideal. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. (Genesis 2:9). The flowers all had perfect blooms—no garden has ever compared. This setting is where God chose to walk and talk with Adam and Eve. He loved strolling through it, hand in hand with His most magnificent creation, man made in His own image. Man, since the earliest of time, has found a place within himself for working the land and seeing God at work as seeds grow and plants bloom. Only God can make a seed grow. Only God can make a flower bloom high in the desert where no man will ever see it.

The agricultural theme runs throughout scripture. God gives many lessons using farming, gardening, and vineyards as springboards to get to His point. The people of the Bible were immersed in horticulture. They grew produce for survival. As they roamed the deserts, they saw firsthand the results of no rain, thistles, hardpan ground. So, when Christ told His parables, many of which related to farming the land, they understood clearly what He was teaching them.

Lessons From The Master Gardener is a parallel of botanical and Biblical principles that enhance the application of scripture in a believer’s life. A picture is drawn of the relationship between the physical world in which we live and the spiritual realities one needs to know to live a victorious Christian life.

Today gardening is the number one pastime of Americans. In the hectic lives we lead, the garden is one place where life slows down and we can encounter the creator, just as Adam and Eve did before the Fall. It is my hope that this book will enrich both the gardening and the spiritual experience.

Chapter One

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Excitement mounts shortly after the winter holiday season ends. Now is the time for the many seed catalogs to arrive. Daily the avid gardener goes to the mailbox to see if they have come. One can hardly wait to see all the brightly colored pictures of flowers and vegetables--some new varieties and some old standbys. After browsing the catalogs, he makes his list. He looks out at the barren land of winter and envisions the garden green and heavily laden with its bounty.

Before planting the newly purchased seed, however, the farmer must prepare his soil. Top quality soil is the foundation for a good garden. Various factors play a part in the composition of the soil. If crops had been planted in the same bed the previous year, valuable nutrients have been depleted from the soil to nurture last year’s produce. The rains of autumn and early spring often wash away necessary components and leave the soil lacking. If one is starting a garden in virgin dirt (where no garden has been planted before) it may be necessary to do a soil test to determine what the deficiencies of the area are. This test will help one determine what ingredients need to be added to make the soil meet all the necessary requirements for the particular crop one is planting. The pH of the dirt is another factor to consider when determining the quality of the soil. If the soil is too acidic or too alkaline the availability of the nutrients to the plants will be affected. There are essential elements that must be present in the proper proportions. Each element plays an essential part in the growth and development of the plant’s life. A good supply of phosphorus is necessary for the young plant because it causes good root growth and makes the plant stems strong. Nitrogen is necessary for the formation of flowers and fruits. Potassium helps the efficiency of water transportation throughout the plant and decreases water loss during the process of transpiration. A fertile soil is the beginning of an abundant harvest.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV).

God grows His crop in the soil of His perfect love. There are no deficiencies in God’s soil. However, we are often unable to utilize all the components of the soil because we lack knowledge and/or acceptance of what God’s love is like. As a result, our roots cannot go deep into the soil and flourish. Our lives do not yield the unflawed produce that God desires for us. The perfect fruit would be a