“July Spiritual Botany” As you probably know, July is our hottest month of the year in the Twin Cites with the average temperature for the month being over 83 degrees. We can often experience several weeks in July of above 90 degree temperatures with little or no rain. Botanists (those who study plants) tell us these conditions can be very hard on plant life. Our lawns, the farmers’ crops, flowers and other vegetation can be greatly stressed by the weather conditions of July in Minnesota. Several things are crucial for plants’ survival in our July environment: the quality of the soil, proximity to a lake, pond, river or stream, the depth of the plant’s roots, and access to irrigation. If a plant has one or more of these things going for it, its chances of surviving and producing abundant fruit rise dramatically. But without access to any of these things, a plant can easily shrivel up and die in July. Did you know that there are similarities with what plants face with our July weather and our spiritual life? Look at Jeremiah 17:5-8, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. 6They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. 7But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. 8They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit’” (NLT). The prophet Jeremiah compares our spiritual condition to plants. If our hope and confidence is rooted in humans or things, if we turn away from God - the true source of life and nourishment, we become like unproductive, dried up dead plants. God calls such people “cursed.” He says they have “no hope for the future.” But if we put our hope and confidence in God, we are like plants by a river. Our roots go deep and we are not bothered by the heat or drought the evil one brings our way. We produce abundant fruit for God and His kingdom. Are you feeling spiritually far from God? Are you feeling spiritually dry and lifeless? Are you bearing little or no fruit for God? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, take a lesson from the plants this July. Pause for a moment and see how some plants seem to be doing fine and others are wilting under the heat and dryness. Use the plants as a reminder of your spiritual life. Are you placing your life’s confidence in God or in other people or things? Don’t wither and die spiritually like an unwatered plant in the dry July heat. Put your hope and confidence in God today. Draw spiritual nourishment from prayer, bible reading, discipleship, and attending and participating in the life of church. If you do, God promises that no matter the heat and dryness life throws at you, you will prosper spiritually and bear much fruit for our God!