God's Garden

God's Garden

"Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, [and] there is nothing too hard for thee" (Jeremiah 32:17).

            The treasury of compassion from our blessed Lord is inexhaustible. With every minute, every year, we realize more and more, his infinite compassion toward us. "To know Him, the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his suffering" (Philippians 3:10). The hymn writer had it right, "What a fellowship, what joy divine." His fellowship, taking on himself all my rotten sins which he did not deserve and placing on me, his righteousness which I do not deserve.

            The thought has never left me, left a stain on my very psyche: As a young boy, this writer was never very athletic, never chosen by the other boys when choosing up for their ball team. I was always the last one chosen, they did not want me on their team. BUT, before the foundation of the world, council chambers of eternity (Eph 1:4), GOD CHOSE ME FOR HIS TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind about it, I was chosen, elected, with all my flaws, by the perfect one to spend eternity with Him, in his garden.

            The poet Robert Frost and so many others, even Jesus himself, have told us about the two roads separating, one wide and well traveled, the other narrow and less traveled. The broad road leading to destruction, "and many there be which go in thereat" (Matthew 7:13). We all know that very few are attracted to the narrow way, " Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:14).  On that narrow way, the most important and magnificent bridge one will ever cross, the magnificent bridge called humility.

            In a world of the politically correct, the egotism of "Winning Friends and Influencing People, Carnegie, the song and dance of the politician, pastor, psychologist, parents, in not offending anyone, the God of popularity, but in extending pride in accepting everything, not offending anyone. Humility, the epicenter of Christianity takes a back seat. In the new birth, simply by the supernatural act of believing, "the old man" of pride, sin and rejection, is replaced by the spirit of God, Jesus and his righteousness, humility personified. "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." (James 4:6). Even Jesus himself, the greatest sermon ever preached said, "Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).  

            Hundreds of years before his birth, he, who was there when the very earth was created, who, as at his birth could have called on thousands of angels, was described by the profits. "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not" (Isaiah 53:3). 

            Living the Christian life is not complicated, just tough. Christianity is a humbling experience, you do not look down at others, a matter of detaching self. Selfishness is the opposite of humility and we are all so self centered. Excising self, you have room for the personhood, personality of God in you. Once you understand the magnificence of DNA, that in each of the trillions of cells in our body we constantly reproduce cells. (Think of NYC, Manhattan island, dividing, many times each and everyday, every building-street-tree, every apartment, the frying pan in each apartment, the same place in each division.) This is the magnificence of divine creation. Every cell in the human body (trillions), each with thousands of pages of information pertaining to you, your ancestry, both mother and father. Now you can understand God's total disgust with those who promote and defend abortion of the most innocent, conception to birth.

            Once you understand new birth in Christ, simple belief, the old man moving out of your soul, your soul being filled with the righteousness of Christ, spirit of God and fruit of the spirit "is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22, 23).  

            Once you understand the righteousness of Jesus in you, you know that you are a new creation. "Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). We do what we do because we believe what we believe. The problem in Christianity, stinking, thinking, making a beggar of God, the cheapening of God and his church by cowards of faith. (Tell evangelist's begging for money...playing games.) Then you understand that "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).  

            Once you understand the supernatural belief of Jesus in you, you recognize and realize fruit trees, "For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh" (Luke 6:43-45). Saved, you can not get enough of God's precious word.

            Pride is the beginning of every sin. Satan was a created being, Prince of the air, aspired to excel over God, was thrown out of Heaven along with 30% of the angels who he converted. Satan and his angels are among us still, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]" (Ephesians 6:12). He knows his time is limited, Satan and his minions, that broad road, want to lead, he as drum major at the head of the parade, as many as possible to Hell and the eternal lake of fire. We need to be careful about pride....even our mind, our possessions (home, vehicles, properties), our talents, looks, health. How quickly we can lose it all. "Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away" (James 4:6). God's garden is a place of beauty, Christian faithfulness, overshadowed by his humbleness.