God’s Florist Shop

God would make a great florist. He designed among flowers a variety of shapes, fragrances, and various colors. He made them fragile enough to be crushed with a boot, yet strong enough to withstand heavy rains and pelting hail. God planted at least three gardens:

• Garden of Eden – “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there He placed the man He had made.” (Genesis 2:8) The Scripture says that He planted trees bearing food, but I doubt the only colors were green and brown. Just look at sunsets, animals, and people. God likes a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors.
• Garden of Israel – “The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people of Judah are His pleasant garden.” (Isaiah 5:7) God had planted them, but received only rotten fruit. “He expected a crop of justice, but instead He found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead He heard cries of violence.” (Isaiah 5:7) I wonder what His impression is of America, especially after yesterday’s school shooting in Georgia.
• Garden of Christians – Jesus said, “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of Mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:1-2, 5)

Flowers can teach us to be fragile (humble), while at the same time being resilient (focused and alert).

• Humility – Following the example of the Lord Jesus, we are not to find our identity in our position. “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5–8)

Humility is also required for us to endure unjust suffering. We may not deserve the harsh treatment, but Peter reminds us, “If you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.” (1 Peter 2:20–23)

This characteristic does not come naturally to us. But that is the way of the cross. Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23) It requires death to self-rule in exchange for God’s rule.

• Focused – Like a world-class athlete, we must stay focused on our training with a single-minded commitment. “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:14) It also calls us not to be distracted. “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)
• Alert – The devil uses people, especially friends and relatives, to disqualify us from this race. “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) It doesn’t mean we lose our salvation, but we may lose rewards and the motivation to excel. “Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.” (1 Corinthians 3:12–15)

Flowers also show up at funerals. The way to be right with God before flowers are arranged on your casket or grave is to repent of your sin and give the reins of your life to Jesus. I hope you’ll do that soon.