"The 'Dirt' on Christians!"

I know as a Christian, when we talk about being washed, being clean, being saved, being fruitful... the last thing we want to be identified with is dirt.  The scripture lets us know that in the beginning, God created Adam by the dust of the earth.  Basically we were created from dirt.  If we pay attention to the various colors of dirt, you will find every color of man.  Brown, white, black, red and yellow- God created us from the dust of the earth, we are basically.....DIRT.

I love gardening, I don't do it as much in Houston because of the heat, but as kids we learned how to grow plants, nurture them and benefit from the fruit of our labor. Every seed that I have ever grown was planted in dirt and that is where this thought sprouts from... 

DRYING OUT

I have an avocado seed that I keep thinking I am going to plant. It is not the first one that I have tried to grow. See whenever I find a good piece of fruit, my temptation is to instantly want to plant that seed, believing that it will produces after it's kind.  I used to think that a seed needed to be dried out before it could be planted, basically it needed to die.  So this seed like it's previous counterparts, has sat in a designated 'drying' place, doing nothing. A seed full of potential has sat dormant in my house.  As of today... it is still drying out and not producing ANYTHING.  Sometimes we put so much emphasis on drying a seed, or dying to our past that we forget that the plan is not just DEATH, but GROWTH.  The plan is that we are fruitful, that we can produce and that the world benefits from our lives.  God is not just interested in us dying, that is just one part of the process... His ultimate plan is that we live! Living testimonies of His goodness.  Don't get stuck in one part of your process, trying to be so sure you are dead to sin that you forget that He died to bring you life.  If we are not focused on the entire plan, and the differing processes, just  like my avocado seed, we can be wasting valuable time and may one day discover that we are no longer able to produce according to the original plan.  

DIRT OR WATER 

Another thing I have found recently is that I could actually get my avocado seed ready to produce, by first planting it over water and letting the seed root before planting it in soil.  This completely changed my thoughts about that seed!  I now have plans to try and see if I can get my little tree going since now I have 'a revelation' that the process I was using, was good, but there is another way that produces the same results, possibly quicker.   I like many, love to see results.  It is encouraging to be able to watch the seed get roots and a bud, that alone will help me gather all the other things I need to ensure it is successful.   

If you are someone who has been planting into the lives of others by trying to work with the dirt in their life... try the water.  Trying to be productive by always addressing the flesh, doesn't always allow you to see progress.  The best place to set up roots is not really in dirt, but it can be in water.  Sometimes you have to jump in the water of the word of God, and begin serving in His house, even though you have not dealt with all the dirt.  The roots you get in the word, will help you deal with the dirt, and help you grow even when you are surrounded by dirt. 

THE DIRTY SECRET

We already talked about how God formed man from the dust of the earth.  He knew  that one day He would plant His seed in us, and we needed to be able to grow, and to be productive.  Every seed needs dirt, even God's seed.  Our strong roots need to be generated by the water of the word of God, so  it will grow in us.   We are the dirt God needs to grow His purpose in.  Once we begin to grow, dirt drops off.  Before we are served to others, we are washed, cleansed, then presented.  God grows us up to be productive and a blessing to others... But don't despise your dirt! 

I want to take a little twist when it comes to talking dirt... don't let your dirt define you... your flesh or the deeds you have done in your flesh.  Yes, we are made from dirt, and dirt is needed to grow a seed, but whatever you have been through in life, all the little dirty things.... lends to a testimony, a ministry or at least a heart that understands what someone else is going through.  That same dirt will allow us to care a little more about someone else, it will allow us to be touched by the feelings of others pain,  and it will help us not to judge those who are struggling in the same dirt we were delivered from.  That same dirt that made you sin, is now being used by God to grow a seed of righteousness.   Allow God to grow in you and to do His perfect work through you, and allow for the same in those you encounter!