Tend Your Garden

Have you ever been 'thrown under the bus' by anyone? Have you ever fabricated the truth to make yourself look good, even at the expense of another? Self-preservation often takes control when we encounter situations that may expose our sins and flaws. Gossip and complaining and arguments lead to quarreling and quarreling spawns slander.

Consider 2 Corinthians 12:20. For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.

What exactly is slander? It is defamation, malicious and false. If you slander, then you are lying. If you slander, you are gossiping. If you slander, then you are tearing down the church. Why would you raise such derogatory accusations against a Brother or Sister in Christ? You may fool some of the people, but you can never fool God. He knows your heart and He weighs your motives. 1 Corinthians 4:5 tells us that "He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts."

2 Corinthians was written by Paul and he addressed the church in Corinth. Paul feared for the Corinthians. Look closely at the list of fears he has for the church. Quarreling. Jealousy. Outbursts of anger. Factions. Slander. Gossip. Arrogance. Disorder. If Paul were to walk in the doors of your church building or fellowship with the body of believers today what would he find?

We have Christians parading around and patting themselves on the back because they have not stolen or murdered. They congratulate themselves for perfect attendance. They are just like the Pharisees. They keep the letter of the law but not the heart of the law. They allow evil to fester in their hearts and they release the reins on their tongues.

We must cleanse ourselves. Ephesians 4:31 says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice." Likewise Colossians 3:18 also urges us to ". . . rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." Then again in 1 Peter 2:1 it says "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind."

Getting rid of these horrific attributes will not come easy. First, you must fill your heart with goodness. Meditate on God's Law. Memorize scriptures. Sing hymns. Look at Galations 5:22-23a. It lists the fruits of the Spirit. Focus on your fruits and memorize them. Take note of any fruits you produce throughout the day and go out of your way to produce more of the fruits. " . . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

Plant your garden and fertilize it so that you can produce good fruit.