SERVANTS OF GOD

 THE SERVANTS OF GOD: RIGHTLY DIVIDING AND DRESSING THE GARDEN

By Jonas T.  Suizo

The Word of God is not merely a written record to be recited for knowledge’s sake, but a living and breathing seed meant to be cultivated in the garden of the Lord. From the very beginning, Adam was placed in Eden to “dress it and to keep it,” and so too the servants of God are entrusted with the holy task of tending His garden—the people, the church, the ministry—through the faithful handling of Scripture.

Isaiah reminds us, “For precept must be upon precept, line upon line, here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). This verse shows that the truth of God is not given in a single sweeping statement, but scattered throughout the pages of the Word, requiring careful gathering. The servant of God must learn to splice together these scattered fragments of truth, weaving them like threads into a garment fit for the garden of God.

Paul echoes this same duty when he exhorts, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). To rightly divide is to discern what belongs to which season, to know how to apply the Word with precision, not bluntly or mechanically, but as a gardener trims and nurtures each plant according to its need. A careless hand will destroy the plant; a faithful hand will help it flourish.

But such labor cannot be accomplished by human intellect alone. Man’s study and interpretation, void of the Spirit, becomes lifeless text. It cannot dress nor keep the garden. For, as Jesus taught, “God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Only by the Spirit can the Word breathe. Psalms declares, “The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty” (Psalm 29:4). And again, “The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire” (Psalm 29:7). The servant of God does not speak with borrowed words, but with the Spirit’s fire that makes Scripture alive and fitting for its moment.

Therefore, to keep and dress the garden of God is not to invent doctrines or lean on human commentary, but to let the Spirit teach, counsel, and guide. The true servants pray, seek counsel from the Lord, and wait upon His timing. They understand that the Word is not theirs to control but theirs to carry, as stewards of the mysteries of God.

In the end, the garden thrives not because of the servant’s skill, but because of the Lord’s voice resonating through His Word. The faithful servant merely tends, trims, and waters as God directs. By “here a little and there a little,” by “rightly dividing,” by crafting the Spirit’s utterance into a living voice, the servants of God dress the garden with majesty, ensuring that every plant, every soul, is nurtured unto the glory of the Lord.