Crossroads: Everything that Grows

Psalm 65

Your Story

Talk about a time when you were awestruck by the beauty of creation.

My Story and the Bible Story

Spring and fall are my two favorite times of the year. Seeing the wonderful colors of leaves as they change in the fall fills me with delight. Likewise, seeing everything bloom and grow in the spring reminds me that new life comes every year. Winter does not have the last word. Things that seemed dead begin coming back to life as the temperature rises. I love seeing cherry trees bloom. My favorite part of my hometown is all the cherry trees. I love seeing cherry blossoms everywhere I go. When I see them, I imagine that heaven must be filled with those light pink blossoms. When we look around us and see the beauty of creation, it’s easy to see God’s handiwork. The Bible reminds us that it takes both sunshine and rain to make all of this grow.

Psalm 65 reminds us of God’s presence and how God takes care of us as well as creation.

Read Psalm 65.

Can you almost hear the Earth singing for joy to the Lord? God takes care of creation, sending rain to make the flowers and the fields grow. Everything bears fruit because of the care the Lord gives it. And God doesn’t just make creation grow. God makes us grow too! We won’t start sprouting plants on our arms or anything like that, but God helps us grow into who we are and who God wants us to be. When we arrive on God’s doorstep, when we come to God, we do that because we need help. Our sins are too much for us, and we know that we need saving. So we go to God, and God does something amazing: God takes all that stuff away! God gets rid of our sins and throws them away, then invites us in. We are reminded that God is always with us and loves us no matter what. When we listen to God and follow God, we can bloom with God’s fruit, the fruit of the Spirit (cf Galatians 5:22-23). Just as God makes the flowers and the trees bloom, the grass and the wheat fields grow, and on and on, God makes us bloom as well. Imagine a spring day when everything is blooming and the Earth is bursting with possibility. If God does this for creation, imagine how much God can help us grow too! God loves us no matter what and is always ready and willing to help us grow. Listen to God because God cares for you. Follow God, and God promises to help you grow.

Discussion and Prayer

1. Talk about your favorite parts of creation. How can you see God in those things?
2. Think back over the last few months. How has God helped you grow?
3. As a family, talk about the fruit of the Spirit and how God helps us become more like Jesus.
4. Pray, thanking God for saving us and asking for help to grow in God.

Rev. Jessica Asbell is the Minister to Children and Families at First Baptist Roswell, where she has been serving since 2012. She has written the children’s curriculum for Smyth & Helwys’s Annual Bible Study for the books of Daniel; Ezekiel; Luke; Jonah; 1 Corinthians; 1, 2, 3 John and Jude; Colossians; The Story of Israel’s Ancestors: Living toward a Promise; and Where Faith & Family Meet: A Book of Weekly Devotions. She has also written for CBF’s Spark and Form and for Affect in CBF’s fellowship! magazine. Married to Jonathan Oravec, Jessica reads every chance she gets.