To Cultivate & Watch Over

To Cultivate & Watch Over:

John Newton wrote the lyrics to the hymn “Amazing Grace” after, what the Bible would describe as, “something like scales fell from” his eyes.

That reference from Acts 9:18 pertains to the zealous, murdering, Pharisee, Saul, who would become the zealous Apostle and missionary – Paul.

When those “scales” fell from the eyes of John Newton the African slave-ship captain, he became an ordained minister and champion of abolitionism.

In Genesis 2:15 we read, “The LORD God dedicated the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and watch over her.” God’s purpose for men has never changed.

God still desires for us to cultivate relationship – it was never about the supposed “joy” of working the garden. God desired from before the beginning, and still desires for us today, to watch over the hearts and minds of our wife, family, friends, and neighbors.

According to Genesis 1:26-27, God made us in Their image and likeness.  Within that eternally perfect divine commUNITY of Trinity, God is always doing exactly that – cultivating relationship and watching over.

At the very deepest, most fundamental, core, heart, and essence of Holy Trinity is the sense of perfect altruism – or ‘other-mindedness.’

We see this most vividly in the Old Testament in God’s patience, lovingkindness, a zealous love for Israel – despite their perpetual idolatry and sin.  Then we see it even more clearly in the New Testament in the person of Jesus Christ and His obedience to the Father’s mission, His love and zeal for us – demonstrated quite vividly in His cleansing the temple.

Because of Christ’s love for us He promised to send “the Comforter,” i.e. the Holy Spirit, to reign on the throne of our hearts – perpetually cultivating and watching over our relationships with God, humanity, and creation.

Many of us have at least a basic understanding of what it means to ‘cultivate’ relationship, but we know little-to-nothing about watching over – even in our own hearts and lives.

Israel failed miserably in their ministry as “a kingdom of priests/mediators and a holy/set-apart nation.”  When Jesus came to the temple just before the celebration of Passover, He found the temple court – the area designated for Gentiles so they could come and hear Scripture and thus be invited into commUNITY relationship with the ONE TRUE GOD – turned into a marketplace. With a holy righteousness and zeal Jesus cleaned things up.

Here is where the words of Oswald Chambers are instructive and illuminating. “The Spirit of God will not allow you to use your body for your own convenience… We have to remember that our conscious life, though it is only a tiny bit of our personality, is to be regarded by us as a shrine of the Holy Spirit. He will look after the unconscious part that we know nothing of; but we must see that we guard (i.e. watch over) the conscious part for which we are responsible.”

Humanity was created for commUNITY with God.  The Holy Trinity made us in Their image and likeness to cultivate and watch over. God cultivates relationship through a zealous love that clears the temple courts of our hearts, by the grace revealed to us in our Savior, Jesus Christ, and through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

God also watches over us through Christ, our High Priest who always intercedes for us, and through the ministry of the Comforter who quietly prompts, guides, and leads us to grow in the faith and knowledge of Christ our Savior.

God is doing His part.

What about you? Will you invite The Spirit in to do that which only God can?

Blessings,

-Kevin