Our Garden

What a message today. It really tallied with some of my thoughts this past week on tending to the garden of our mind. One verse that really hit me was Matthew 13:17 : "...and righteous men have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them." How quickly we look at the mirror of the word and forget what we see or don't even see it. I know for me personally it's most often the cares and riches and worries of this world that choke out the joy of the gospel. I was at work and finishing the book Boy Meets Girl by Josh Harris. In the final chapters he was talking about the provision of the cross and what God has accomplished for us. I think the main point that was impressed upon me in the final chapters was the completeness of God's provision for us. It wasn't that the topic was new, but rather that it was just freshly brought to the forefront of my mind. There's a lot of places in scripture where God's people need to be reminded of old truths...we tend to forget even the most basic but important truths of the bible if we don't tend to the garden of our mind. The weeds of everyday cares and worries choke out our hope and our joy and leave us feeling barren if we don't take care to seed our minds constantly with that which is good and pleasing and brings joy. Two definitions of a weed that I found were: "a valueless plant growing wild, esp. one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop" and "any undesirable or troublesome plant, esp. one that grows profusely where it is not wanted." What weeds are we allowing to grow in the garden of our mind to the injury of our desired crop of righteousness? Weeds grow fast and can quickly overcome and obstruct our vision of the desired crop. We have to be constant in our work towards santification...it's something that requires a lot of work, but luckily it's not all our own doing. God uses the rod and staff of his word, and also corrects us with our parents, those Christians around us who are seeking to sharpen us and spur us on, and the events of our lives that cause us to stop and take stock of our lives. Are we fighting for faith and for joy? If not we will not see what God has done for us and the lamp of his word will grow dim in our sight. Reading those final chapters of Boy Meets Girl just refreshed in my mind how God has provided. He gave us life and a world of ceaseless variety to subdue and care for. He gave Adam a wife and presided over the first marriage. When we sinned he made clothes for us and covered our sins. He constantly pursued His people and reminded them that he watches for them and hears their cries. He disciplined his people and then blessed them when they turned from their wicked ways and came back to his welcoming arms. Then, as if everything else wasn't enough, he sent his Son to write the law on our hearts and abolish sin with abundant grace. He poured out wrath on the perfect Son to make heirs of pedophiles, adulterers, murderers, liars, idolaters, thieves...me! What kind of God does that? How wicked of us when we doubt His love and care for us. Doesn't it make you want to focus on the important things and work to benefit His kingdom? Doesn't that make you want to stamp out the pride and other areas of weakness in your heart? Doesn't it make you want to be steadfast in reading His words for us, the words that bring life and show us how to live in His will? When I'm reading the word and spending time with my Creator the lamp that lights the narrow path seems to increase in its brightness. I know that it is always the same brightness but I feel like the sunglasses are removed during those periods and it brings illumination that brings me joy. I want to be the tree planted by waters and yielding its fruit in due season, but that isn't done by sitting back and relying on grace and being content. I have to be constantly weeding the garden of my mind so that I will produce fruit, otherwise those weeds will grow to the detriment of the desired fruits of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. I want to grow in those areas, and have plenty of work to do, but it's worthwhile work. Don't you enjoy being around people who have these evident in their lives? I know I do, but more importantly it's our Savior's desire that these fruits be present in our lives. Let's live in light of the fact that we've been purchased at a price and our not our own. Let's spur eachother on and encourage and correct one another in love...that is a life worth living!