When you set out to make something beautiful that you are going to value and treasure, you will choose the best materials you have.

In 1 Chronicles 29 there is a list of materials donated for the building of the temple, where the Israelites believed God would live. They used gold, silver, bronze and precious stones to show how much they loved and honoured God.

Colossians 3:12 says that we are God’s chosen people – holy and dearly loved. So let’s go back to the creation story in the Bible and see what precious material God chose for creating us in His image…soil! How interesting…

If you make something out of gold it will be shining and beautiful, but it has no capacity for growth and change. But if we take a pot of rich soil, it has within it all the minerals and nutrients required to produce something wonderful. All we need to add are seeds, water and warmth and light from the sun. I suggest that God created us from soil because He wanted to pack us full of potential. Our job,in partnership with Him, is to walk forward into that potential.

The seeds we need to plant in our lives are the truths contained in the Bible. 2 Peter 1:4 says we have been given divine promises that will help us to participate in the divine nature. The Bible is full of such promises that we can plant in our lives.

In John 7:37-39 we discover the source of the water that we need. In fact, rivers of living water! In other parts of the Bible it talks about springs of water or fountains. All of these pictures convey to me thoughts of movement, excitement and refreshment. The source of all this refreshing is the presence of the Holy Spirit in each Christian. The Holy Spirit comes and dwells in us the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour. We can then pray for an ongoing supply throughout our journey with the Lord.

The Holy Spirit reveals our potential and shows us that the power we need to fulfil it comes from God. It is He who provides the warmth and light to grow the seeds within us until they provide a harvest of kingdom fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5).

We were created with everything we need to produce this fruit if we partner with God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) ‘- from soil!

Jenny is a friend of Sarah’s from church who regularly communicates truth through worship-leading, and inspiring talks.