The Gardner

            You do realize that the oldest profession is not prostitution (as is commonly thought).  Actually the oldest profession is a toss-up between artist/sculptor and landscaper/gardener.  In Genesis 1 & 2 we have a record of the beginnings of the universe.  When you consider everything that God has made and has continued to provide for us, it is truly awe-inspiring.  His artistic genius is evident in every single thing that was sculpted (see Psalm 8:3; Romans 1:20).  Yet it is also obvious that He is actively involved in everything that goes on here.  Like a diligent caregiver, His constant care and personal management within each individual creature and activity are unmistakable.  And what’s more amazing is that He created each one of His special creatures (humans) to also be artistic (Genesis 1:28 – “rule over” or “subdue” literally means “make something with it” or “be creative with it”) and to be personally involved in taking care of His marvelous creation (Genesis 2:15).

            Now fast forward thousands of years:  Man has messed up big time and ruined His relationship with God and His marvelous creation too.  Yet the artist/landscaper has not given up on His favorite creatures.  Instead He has chosen to work within their lives to create a solution to their sin problem.  He, Himself has come down to be one of us, to live the life we were created for and then to pay for all of our offenses.  Thus, He has created the way of salvation to bless us with life and love and mercy – like a loving Father would for His beloved children.  And, as Jesus points out in His allegory of the Vine and the Branches (John 15:1) He continues His work of actively and personally working in our lives to perfect and build our relationship with Him.  Notice, Jesus calls Him “the Gardener”.  This proves that He is not some entity or supreme being sitting out there somewhere looking in on us and only acting in our lives when it suits His overall plan. 

            As a gardener, then, He will have to prune and pull weeds every so often.  Sin causes “bad spots” and unhealthy growths that need to be cut off to ensure all of His nourishment is going to aid in healthy growth.  And He’ll need to pull up the “weeds” in your life (bad habits, evil thoughts, selfish and greedy actions) that sap all of your energy and cause stunted growth. These actions of His won’t feel good – they actually may be very painful ordeals to go through, but remember that He is striving to improve and perfect you; He wants your soul to grow healthy and produce a good crop of fruit and that can’t happen when you’re loaded down with the consequences of sin.

            So, consider for a moment, the commitment and dedication He has toward you.  Would He have gone to such trouble and spent so much time and energy unless He really cares about you?  Does this not prove His love for you?  In return He requests for us to live with Him immersed in His holiness, doing what is right because it is right; every moment of every day - forever.  This is what He created you for.  Then He will have an optimum environment in which to continue His artistic genius and loving, intimate care as He works to improve and perfect you.

Doug

God’s Indescribable Love

“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”  1 John 3:16

            God is constantly described in Scripture as a giver.  Indeed, everything we know and have at our disposal is in reality a gift from God (James 1:17).  And He has also told us that the motivation for these wonderful blessings is His great and endless love for us all (1 John 3:16-18).  This love is proven to us every time we remember Jesus on the cross.

            It’s hard to explain in human terms how such a tragic event as Jesus’ crucifixion can also be such a joyous occasion.  Indeed, the very idea of this scandalous incident was impossible for Jews to believe and seemed totally ridiculous to Gentiles (1 Corinthians 1:23).  Yet that is our message: God’s love being demonstrated and completed in Jesus’ selfless sacrifice (paying the price for our sin and reviving 3 days later never more to die).  Now we are called upon to believe it, place our faith in it, live according to its reality and teach it undiluted until we die.

            So how does one describe this kind of love the Father has for us?  I doubt all of the poets and lyricists throughout all of history combined could not come close to putting into words what this love is and what it is like.  Even the Bible’s word-pictures and descriptions (1 Corinthians 13) fall far short of capturing the entire matter.  It is, as Paul says, indescribable (2 Corinthians 9:15).

            It appears, therefore, that the only way for humans to explain their appreciation to God for all that we have and all that He has done for us is to live our lives sharing these multiple blessings with everyone we come into contact with.  This, of course, requires an intimate, growing relationship with the Father in order to keep our motivation for being so generous alive.  But after all, when you begin to appreciate and comprehend what God was doing on the cross of Calvary that one day long ago, it is just humanly impossible to keep it to yourself; you will not be able to (Acts 4:19-20).  The only possible and practical thing to do is to share it generously in every way possible.

Doug

Who Is This God?

     While recently reading the account of the Exodus, one thought became very clear.  Those Egyptians got a first rate education on just who the One true God really is.  He was no one to mess with.  He was a God that was going to do whatever He wanted to do!

     Then I started to realize something else.  God’s own people, the Israelites got an education too.  They had been in Egypt for 400 some years and really didn’t know God except for the stories they passed on by word of mouth.  So, what do you suppose the Israelites found out from watching God defeat the Egyptians?  

     God is the great  liberator.  He is in the business of setting His people free (from sin).

     God is the great provider.  He loves to bless His people with everything they need.

     God is the great teacher.  He desires His people to know Him and to live righteously.

     God is infinite (power, position and knowledge).  He wants to be with His people to

help them always.

     Most of all, God is the great I Am.  There is no other God but Him.

     Now do you suppose that these lessons learned by the Egyptians and Israelites were for them only?  Do we learn anything about God from these stories?  Oh yes.  What we read in Exodus - Deuteronomy is reemphasized many times over by Jesus and His Apostles all throughout the New Testament.  God still provides all these blessings today.  He not only sees to our physical needs, He is capable of handling our emotional needs and our spiritual needs.  

     So what are you leaning about this God in your own life?  Is He your God or has He been replaced with other, inferior & false ones?  Is your confidence in His ability to handle everything you need or do you rely on yourself / someone else to resolve your problems?  Can your God do anything at any time or just when you think you need Him to?  What kind of a God do others recognize by watching Him defeat the weaknesses in your life?

Doug

Above & Beyond

We are all grateful when “heroes” spring into action and sacrifice life & limb in order to help others in times of need.  Our soldiers are publicly awarded for going above and beyond the call of duty when helping their comrades in battle.  Our first responders in the police and fire squads are especially appreciated for their willingness to put their lives on the line during various emergencies.  They all claim that they were just doing their jobs.  But those of us who have received aid through their courageous efforts know differently.  We all appreciate the value of those who go above & beyond the call of duty.

The God we serve has proven time and again that He doesn’t just provide His creatures with what is needed; He always goes way above and far beyond our basic necessities (Ephesians 1:8; 1 John 3:1).  It appears, especially from the Creation account in Genesis 1 & 2 that He really enjoys lavishing His blessings upon His creation in countless and unimaginable ways. 

Just look around at the wondrous variety that nature reveals: He didn’t just make trees, He made all kinds of trees (elm, maple, redwood, cypress, fir).  He didn’t just make vegetable plants, He made multiple types of tomato, potato, pepper, lettuce, and bean plants.  He made a myriad amount of animals; dogs, cats, elephants, monkeys, birds, yes and even bugs.  He made a vast amount of land features; hills, valleys, mountains, plateaus, rivers, seas, and grassy plains.  And just look into the sky on a clear night – what an awesome display of creative genius He portrays in the countless stars, planets, and other cosmic bodies!  God didn’t have to make all of this vast array; but He went above and beyond so that His creatures would not only enjoy the work of His hands, but would also bear witness to His power, and glory, and goodness, and love. 

That’s the God we serve.  That’s the God who loves us and wants us to understand and know Him (Jeremiah 9:23-24).  That’s the God who sacrificed everything in order to redeem us from our sins so we could enjoy His creativity forever.

Can you now see why He would get so upset when we wander away from Him; how can you appreciate and enjoy these blessings without Him?  Can you understand why He gets offended when we give the credit for all of our blessings to ourselves or some other idol; hasn’t He provided all of this so you two could spend some quality time together?  Can you grasp the hurt He feels whenever we return to Him our “leftovers,” or spare change, or only want to do just enough to make Him happy; would you be happy with being just a friend with your significant other? 

Spend the quality time that God craves to enjoy with you.  Notice how awesome our God is that He cares for more than just knowing you exist – He wants to be with you and to love you intimately (see Psalm 8).  Commit to going above & beyond in your walk of faith with Him and be amazed at the amount and variety of blessings He can and will lavish upon you – just because He can.

Doug

Something To Boast About

People boast about a lot of things: their physical appearance, their intelligence, an athletic performance, singing ability, the amount of money they make, the escapades they get away with, the list is endless.  Yet most of us can see right through most of the big talk we hear.  It becomes obvious that the person is either trying to impress others or they’re attempting to compensate for a lack of self-esteem.  Sometimes it appears that the boasting is meant as a means to control a situation and/or to assert authority.  Whatever the case, these rants usually result in a shouting match and both sides going separate ways.

If only we could learn not to boast; or better yet, learn to boast about something that really matters.  Does such a topic exist?  Is there really something substantial to boast about that we can continually proclaim and embolden others to join us in bragging about?   Is there an achievement worth boasting about openly and honestly that won’t make us look shallow or arrogant?  God says there is; check out Jeremiah 9:23-24.

This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.

It’s not wise to boast about wisdom because there is always more to learn and apply. And physical strength doesn’t last; just ask anyone experiencing old age.  And riches don’t last either; this latest recession (depression?) is proof of that. 

No, the only thing worth boasting about is in our understanding and knowing God.  That’s something to boast about because our relationship with Him is the only thing that lasts.  For if we truly understand Him, we will be striving to act as He does (notice the list of attributes that He delights in: “exercising” kindness, justice, righteousness – meaning that our actions will be loving, merciful, forgiving, serving, patient, trustworthy & honest, selfless, etc.).  And since He is infinite in all characteristics there will always be more to learn and know and to put into practice.

So, evidently it isn’t wrong to boast – as long as we boast about a subject that really matters.  And the only thing that EVER matters is God Himself.  It would be nice if our world considered this something to boast about.  But that won’t be happening any time soon.  So make this something you commit to on your own:

1.      Ask God to reveal Himself to you and grow to understand your loving Creator in the most intimate way. 

2.      Hunger and thirst to know Him more passionately by striving to be like Him in every way. 

3.      And go ahead and boast about your personal encounters with Him.  This will encourage the others around you to do the same. And then, what a wonderful would this will be.

Doug