New and Different
by Pam Smith
Can I be a new and different person with a freshness in all I do?
My tomato plants always look new and different each morning, taller, bigger and more flowers - as long as I remember to water and feed them. If I don’t remember they droop down as if dying, but with a good watering each day they look new and quite different. They have more fruit and the leaves give a lovely fragrance as I walk by. They soak up the God-given sunshine and one day soon, the fruit will be very satisfying to me and to others.
I can be like this. The Lord is a very willing Gardener, making the Living Water of His Spirit and food from His Word continuously available to me. He will tend me as I grow the fruit of His Spirit, keeping focussed on Him. His grace will pour down upon me and I’ll become a new and different person with the freshness of His presence in my life.
I feel encouraged when I read in the Bible ‘Grow in Christ, live in harmony and peace’ (2 Corinthians 13:11), and ‘May you always be doing those good kind things that show you are a child of God’ (Philippians 1:11). So I believe I can become a new and different person, fruitful and fresh, with a fragrance that is pleasing to God and others.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I’m sorry that I droop like a tomato plant that hasn’t been watered and fed sometimes. Help me to keep focussed on You each day and become a new and different person, refreshed by Your Spirit. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Pam Smith has a background in art and nursing, has a son and two daughters and six grandchildren. She has been a friend and helper of Ellel Ministries since l992, and has been involved with Healing Through Creativity Courses. As writer of the Shepherd Love Series, she has a passion for the comfort and encouragement that leads people towards enjoying abundant Life in Jesus.
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