Genesis 2:8 says God planted a garden in the east, in Eden. Verse 15 says the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden. It seems so perfect to me that God placed Adam in a garden. And though he literally placed him there, I believe there’s a significant spiritual depth that is so rich. I believe each one of us is a spiritual gardener. We’ve been placed by God into specific gardens to grow in and to tend to. There are things we nurture and things we prune. There are weeds we pull and there are places we till and plant. And just like with Adam, God walks with us in the garden. He’s given us things to enjoy and to eat the fruit of. And just like with Adam, he’s placed things in the garden that are off limits. This fact is a bit hard to grasp at first. Why would God do this? Some believe it’s God tempting us, but I know this isn’t so because James 1:13 says that no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. What he does, is provide us with the opportunity to obey. He gives us the opportunity to trust him and to choose him. So here we are in our garden and it’s meant to be a beautiful, productive, fulfilling, fruitful place, and we’re meant to keep it that way.

I didn’t keep mine very well. Yes I went to church and I watered and nurtured some things. I read the word and prayed, but I also brought in some things to temporarily enjoy that took root. Sinful things I had no idea would grow so fast or root so deep. They began to choke out other important things that were vital to my nutrition and to my garden. The weeds had new places to grow that were beyond my sight. Hidden by the out of control addition I’d allowed within my gates and garden walls. Small foxes and rodents began climbing the sinful ivy that now cascaded over and down the protective borders, and my God given garden gradually became a place that was no longer delightful. I didn’t want to be in my garden anymore. It seemed beyond repair so I searched and found another garden. It looked so pleasurable and in season. It even had the things I’d brought into my garden but they seemed to grow differently. It was springtime in this new garden and it smelled so good. Everything was new and exciting. There were plants I’d never seen before. There were others I had heard of that had bad reputations, but they seemed a lot more enjoyable than people said. This garden was different. Nothing was off limits. Even the poisonous plants were said to be ok if I just had a little. I ate of all the fruit! All my senses were invigorated. I saw everything, listened to everything, tasted everything, touched everything, and took in the fresh aroma all around.

As spring ended and summer settled in, so did I. The fresh aroma was gone because what had been new was now established and had become everyday for me. I had now officially moved and taken residency in the newer garden. It was so pleasurable in the spring, but now the resources were kind of drying up. I hadn’t worked because I was so busy enjoying everything. Now it was really hot and really wearing me down. There’s no big oak tree for shade like I had in my God given garden. There’s not even protection from the storms. But, there was still a little fruit, although it wasn’t fresh like it was in the spring. In fact, it had started to rot. Gnats and fruit flies were becoming so thick that the majority of my energy went to keeping them off the remainder of my fruit; at least what I had decided was mine. Along came fall. A season rightly named might I add because everything I enjoyed began to fall away. One by one the leaves of friendship, worth, and self-esteem dropped to the ground as winds of self-destruction carried off my livelihood. Winter was lonely. I was surrounded by the true identity of the garden. No longer covered in leaves of promise and flowers of glitz and glamour, the raw branches were exposed, along with all the thorns and thistles. It was a miserable time. I couldn’t go anywhere without the pain of the overgrown thorns. I needed it to be spring again! When would it be spring again? I filled my mind with the memories of spring and it helped me to wait. And then…spring arrived, but it was nothing like I had remembered. I was now surrounded by everything I had sown over the past year. I had forgotten that we are always sowing! I tried to nurture and water the things from the season past but they were dead. How could I have known they were seasonal and not annual? I found myself in desperation. How could I live with what I’ve sown? It’s all I have to eat. There’re no nutrients in it. There’s no substance to it. And to top it all off, there’s no water to even wash down the bitter taste. Thoughts of home began to flood my mind and I finally got up and went back to my God given garden.

I was so happy to be home because even though my garden was a mess, it was still better than the deceitful garden I’d made a mess of. I did some work, though there was still a lot to be done, and I enjoyed the company of my garden companions, especially the Lord. But before too long, the seasons in my God given garden were changing, as they always do, and winter can be hard even though it’s temporary. So I looked out my gates and there it was again! Springtime in the other garden! I wondered how it came alive again but there was no time for questions. I was off and back in the mystical garden. I noticed right away that what I had sown was still there. It was mostly ignored thanks to the other things growing around. But once more it happened again. A rerun now played in high definition.

Back and forth I went. My sin season cycle. I had become a horrible, hurtful, lazy, undependable gardener who couldn’t be trusted. I had trained myself to run to anyplace where it was springtime. Then one day after coming home to my God given garden, the garden giver himself spoke to me. He said, “Stop running from winter. I need you to see winter for what it really is. You need the color gone so that you can see things in black and white. Winter is when the roots grow deeper so that the plants grow larger and the trees grow taller. It’s not a time of death, but a time of depth. I want to cover you like snow and my warmth will cause my goodness to water you and nourish you.” This is where I am. I’m under the covering. Pulling weeds and working with the Lord as we make this garden beautiful.

God’s shown me that sin will always be in its pleasurable season somewhere. That’s the only time Satan will present it. He wants to conceal the fact that it’s only pleasurable for that season. He knows that the rotten side of it, the dead side, would push people away rather than draw them in. No one chooses rotten fruit at a grocery store. Crowds don’t flock to home improvement stores in the dead of winter for plants that aren’t in bloom. Teens wouldn’t look at a homeless man who lost everything he had because of drugs and say, “I want that!” The married woman wouldn’t flirt with the guy in the office if she saw the future affect than an affair would have on her husband and children. No! They are drawn in during the pleasurable season.
I’m grateful that God allowed me to see the seasons of sin that lead to death. I’m more grateful that he rescued me and welcomed me home so that I could be restored. You see, I’m not just in a garden; I’m an oak tree. An oak of righteousness to display God’s splendor. I’m now like a tree planted by rivers of water, which yields it’s fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither. Ready in season and out with a promise to prosper.

EVERY MAN’S A GARDENER
FOR ALL WILL SOW AND REEP
SOME WORK AT IT DILIGENTLY
OTHERS CHOOSE TO SLEEP

EVERY MAN’S A GARDENER
ONE DAY IT WILL BE SHOWN
THAT EVERY MAN’S A GARDENER
WHEN HE EATS OF WHAT HE’S SOWN

A few weeks ago my washing machine went out and when the repairman came to fix it, I was so excited because I’d been without it for a couple weeks. So he worked on it and put it back together and said, “all done!” I thought, “Wow, that’s it?” He didn’t test it or anything. He didn’t charge me either. So rejoicing over the money saved I thanked him and he went on his way. I didn’t use the washer that first day because I had to rush off to work since I’d already taken the morning off for the repair.

But the next day, oh the next day! I loaded it up with just a few things that I really needed washed and then it happened. All of the water from the machine flooded out the bottom, out of the washing closet and into my living room! Carpet might I add. Now I’m really picky about my home and I like things to be a certain way, and this was way out of my comfort zone and out of my control! Fear and frustration immediately flooded my mind as the water flooded my carpet. What if the ceiling below me is ruined? What if my carpet is ruined? What if there’s water damage and my home is never the same without spending money that I don’t have? I was frustrated. This wasn’t the way things were supposed to happen. My washer was supposed to be fixed and I was going to wash my clothes and everything was going to smell good and be clean and hung up in my color coordinated closet on matching hangers. I wasn’t prepared for this! I used a carpet machine to suck up the water and towels to dry the mess, but apparently carpet and the padding underneath don’t dry as quickly as we’d like. So, after days of frustration, blotting water, fans running, wet socks in the middle of the night on my trips to the bathroom, and the smell of mildew, the carpet finally dried. Now I know that some would have had a repair man out that first day to fix everything, but the thought of the frustration I had gone through kept me from calling anyone back right away to fix my machine. What if this happens again? What if water spills on my carpet that has finally dried while he’s working on it? I feared that even one drop would replay the whole thing over in my head.

But the thing is, I need my washing machine. Without it, things stay dirty and it starts to stink.

I remember when I was blessed with this washer and how wonderful it was to be able to do my laundry at home and to always have clean clothes.

How often do we let situations in our life, let downs, disasters, frustrations, and messes keep us from trying again. Maybe someone in church hurt you and you’ve decided not to go back. Maybe you planned an event that bombed or you stepped out into a field of ministry that wasn’t successful right off the bat! Is that reason enough to quit? What if Moses had quit after Pharaoh said no the first time and disaster struck? What if he waited to go back until he was comfortable….. he never would have! Is trouble or past frustration keeping you from fixing things in your life? Is there a relationship that was valuable to you sitting broken in a closet because of an argument that brings up bad feelings? Take time today to fix it. Talk to God about it today. Seek direction and ask him to help you move past the past! Then, with his help, rebuild that part of your life that you’ve been neglecting and you’ll remember and appreciate the value of what he’s given you and why he gave it to you in the first place.

If you believed…

“CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM!” yelled the angry crowd on the darkest day of time. I can’t help but to wonder how they would’ve acted differently had they believed and know that this was the Lord of Lords. That this was part of the Godhead who was there when the world was created. How would they have acted differently? Yet they wanted to see him die. Some who even waved palm branches and sung of his praises were so quick to turn when it was no longer what the crowd was doing. People who saw miracles and wonders and maybe even received them personally, now gazed upon a man who had been praised for what he did and not for whom he was. The man they loved for what he did and not for whom he was. What would have been different if they would have known? What would have been done differently if they had really believed in who he was?

I believe this is a question that can be asked to us today.
What would we do differently if we really believed in who he is?

How would you honor him differently today if you knew he is Elohim, the creator of heaven and earth, who was and is and is to come?
How would you bless him if you believed he is El-Shaddai, the God almighty of blessings?
How would you worship Adonai if he were really your Lord and Master?
How would you trust differently today if you believed that he is Jehovah-Jireh, who sees your needs and provides for them?
How about if you trusted him as Jehovah-Rapha, who is your healer?
How would you live today if you were sanctified by Jehovah-M’Kaddesh?
What kind of victory jig would you have danced today had you believed him to be Jehovah-Nissi, your deliverer?
How much better would you rest today if you really knew him as Jehovah-Shalom, the prince of peace?

Do you love him for who he is today? Does your life show it? Does your heart show it? Do your words show it?

What would you do differently today if you really believed?

I was watching a popular tv show this morning and it had a mothers day special with all kinds of gifts at different price levels that you could buy your mom. It started with small things like gardening tools and decorative things for the home. Then there were some perfumes and other items around 100 dollars. Then the guest on the show said, “If price is no object, this last one is for you!” Then she showed us a watch “or time piece” she called it, which cost more than my yearly salary. When I saw it I thought to myself…how in the world is that so expensive? I’ve seen watches that look just like that at Ross for 9 dollars. But then she started describing the watch in detail. This has a white alligator band. It’s face, which is made of pearl is surrounded by real princess cut diamonds with superior clarity. The gold that you see is 24 karat and it has a lifetime warranty.

Now when she described it I realized that what I had seen at Ross was an imitation. The band was probably plastic or synthetic leather, the gold was plated, and the diamonds weren’t diamonds at all. However, at first glance it looked really good. And it was cheap! The crazy thing is, I wouldn’t have known the difference because I know nothing about diamonds and I wouldn’t think to check the gold…. and to be honest, I wouldn’t know the real thing if I saw it. I’d probably think the real thing was fake because the imitations are so similar looking to the real thing, especially to those who don’t know a lot about jewelry.

I don’t think I’d ever see that watch on anyone’s wrist and believe it was real because you see those watches everywhere for so cheap.
But the truth is, though they look similar to the naked eye. There is no comparison in value and worth. There is a huge gap in the imitation and the real deal.
I think it’s amazing that although there are so many imitations, the price of the real deal doesn’t decrease; however, when the stores get flooded with imitations, the imitations soon become cheaper. If the price seems too high, people know they can find it somewhere else at a price they are more comfortable paying.

A. I don’t want imitations in my life. I don’t want an imitation relationship with my wife that cut corners and didn’t cost as much upfront but cost later.
B. If you watch those classic car auctions on tv then you’ll quickly discover that the cars that are all original that have been maintained are more expensive. They don’t have imitation parts or motors that weren’t intended for them. The true collector wants the car the way it was designed to be.
C. Casual: the watch on the tv wasn’t a watch that you’d wear with a ballgown or to a fancy event. It was a casual style watch. The real deal isn’t just for your dress up time. Not just for Sunday mornings and places where you’ll be seen by all your friends. If you’re the real deal, you’re all so pure during your casual times and in the casual places. You’re still the real deal when you sit at home to watch a movie in the privacy of your home. You’re still the real deal and pure when you go to a ball game. You still choose extracurricular activities that aren’t imitation. You can’t buy a watch of that quality at Ross among the mark downs and imitations because it’s still in season. It’s still fine quality and it’s found in high quality places.
D. Don’t expect to find a high quality, pure Christian in a bar at midnight drinking with their friends.
E. Every once in a while you come across a person selling something cheap because they don’t know the value of it. Or they think, I’ll never need this, I’ll just sell it to have a little something for right now. This culture has convinced us that some of our most valuable things are cheaps and that we’ll never need them. So why not sell them now for a little instant gratification. One of those things is sexual purity.

Luke 1 verse 20, Gabriel has just told Zechariah that God has heard his prayers and that he and his wife Elizabeth who are old in age are now going to have a child. Zechariah’s immediate response is not one of excitement but it’s one of doubt because his wife is past the age of having children.
Gabriel then tells him that’s he’s gonna be unable to speak until the day these things take place, because he didn’t believe the news from God which Gabriel had told him.
Then Gabriel says something I love! He says, “My words are of a kind which will be fulfilled in the appointed and proper time.
This means that what God says is gonna happen, is gonna happen, but not is it just gonna happen… it’s gonna happen in the PROPER time. In the appointed time!
To us the right time to have a child would be between 20 and 35. And some may even have a greater window but we would all agree that the best time would be while the woman is still able to conceive! Other than that it’s impossible and we tend to assume that God has said no when our request and petitions haven’t been granted within our window of possibility.
Most people would stop praying for a child once they‘ve past the age of conceiving one, and I’m sure this is what Zechariah did because if he’d still been praying for this to happen, he wouldn’t have been so surprised and full of doubt when he was told it was gonna happen.
We believe for things when we’re in the season of prayer for them. But we have to remember that when the season is over, our petitions before God don’t turn into a history book in heaven!
I went into a new doctors office this week and requested to see the doctor. It didn’t happen that day but the office said, ”let me make you an appointment.” That meant that though it didn’t happen right then, and though I wasn’t getting what I went for right when I asked for it, it was still on it’s way because it was given an appointed time.
There are things we ask God for that he immediately makes an appointment for.
That’s why the Bible shows us in this story that when God decides on something to happen that he gives the word for it to happen and gives it an appointed and proper time!
Even though God was granting Zechariah’s request, Zechariah was made unable to speak until it happened because of unbelief. I don’t know about you but I want to keep believing for the things that I’ve brought before the Lord in prayer! The loved ones that I’ve prayed for God to save and yet they seem to get further and further. The healing that I believe has been promised and yet it doesn’t seem as if it’s getting any better. I don’t want my mouth shut due to unbelief. Instead I want to be anticipating so that when it’s appointment day arrives I can tell every body I know what the Lord has done. It may seem like your time has passed but remember that our ways are not His ways because His ways are higher. He’s got the full calendar of all time and we only have a few years worth. Trust today that God has heard you and he’s marked on his calendar the appointment for what you’ve requested. Though that answer to your request seems late, that’s because God appointed it to be a miracle, and miracles bring more glory to God than a request that was possible while it was still inside of your box!