"The One who has chosen you to be His own longs to find delight in the garden of your heart. As you walk in union and communion with Him, a sweet fragrance will be released and luscious fruit will be born—the fragrance and the fruit of His Spirit."
My Garden
Last night in Youth Group, Frank asked you, in your personal possessions what do you take care of? Or, in essence, what do you treasure? Some of you said a big screen TV, others said their home, and others said their pets. Me? I said "our backyard garden." Weather permitting; it is a place of relaxation, quiet, cooling breezes and shaded shelter. During the weekdays, we enjoy our backyard in the evenings. On the weekends, you can often find me sipping a cup of coffee and enjoying the quiet in the mornings.
In general, I am a peace loving, quiet hoarding person. I seek an atmosphere with minimal distraction; i.e., no TV, no music, no cell phones and often, no talking. It is how I recharge from the daily demands of life. It is probably why I enjoy long walks along the riverbed by our home. And, it is probably the easy answer to why I enjoy camping at Pismo so much. Yes, it IS noisy with busy teens laughing, talking, playing games and interacting with each other. But, it is a beautiful type of noise. Our garden provides a refuge for me from the noises of life.
I came across the following devotional from Nancy Leigh DeMoss, the author of "Lies Women Believe, and the Truth That Sets Them Free." Sound familiar?
It isn't wrong to value material things; however, Jesus wants us to value our relationship with Him more. When we treasure Him; time with Him, worship of Him, fellowship with Him, more than material things – everything gets put into balance and proper perspective. He wants to meet with us in the garden of our heart. In reading the following, "Joseph Carroll tells of a mother whose life of devotion and communion with the Lord Jesus made her spirit beautiful and fragrant," I was reminded of my best friend Debbie Byars.
If you know Debbie at all, you know she is in love with God. She is quick to "gush" about Him. And, she takes God very seriously. What is her greatest fear in this life; to be a disappointment to the Lord.
About five years' ago, on a Saturday in October, Debbie "heard the Lord tell her 'it's time to go to Shuvah.'" Since she obeyed His instruction, her life has grown deeper in love with her Lord! She has understood the importance of cultivating the garden of her heart by spending time in study, worship and fellowship with the Lord. Shuvah Israel is a Messianic Jewish congregation which seeks to reach the Jewish people with the good news that Messiah has come! I have visited Shuvah over the years and enjoyed the authentic worship of the Lord and gained a better understanding and heart for Israel. Through a few events I've attended with Debbie, I met Sarah.
She is unlike any woman of God I have ever met. She is completely in love with the Lord and waits on His direction for big things like where to live, when to move and jobs to take. She also depends on Him to direct her food choices, clothing choices and other intimate decisions that, honestly, I had never really considered taking to the Lord. She truly believes all of her - body, soul and spirit - belongs to God. It is normal for her to say, "Lord, your stomach is hurting today" as she places her physical pains in the capable hands of God.
Like Debbie, I believe she has understood the need to obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit and ask Him to cultivate the garden of her heart where she eagerly waits for His presence to refresh her, direct her and provide for her every need. Every need.
I am spiritually hungry and thirsty for that type of garden in my heart! Too long have I neglected asking the Lord to weed out the cluttered things which choke off my desire for Him. Too often have I "stopped by" for a 5 minute conversation with Jesus, when I could've lingered longer in His presence finding true satisfaction and nourishment in prayer and His Word.
And you know? I know I'm not alone. Like me, you've reduced your time with Christ to a few brief encounters flirting with the idea of staying longer…but allowing the unfaithful love of what you want to overpower and drown out the still small voice of the Holy Spirit whispering, "Stay. Rest. Linger in My peace."
What about you? Does your heart cry out for rest, peace and a longing you can't completely satisfy? It is time to listen for the Holy Spirit. Read on.
Cultivating the Garden of Your Heart
June 12, 2008
by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Several years ago, when I was ready to own a home, I bought a lot overlooking a river and had a house built. Once the house was up, a landscape architect met with me to propose a plan for the property. That fall I paid the landscaping company what seemed like a fortune and then sat back to watch.
I couldn't believe my eyes! The plants they brought in were tiny, scrawny, and unimpressive. More than once I said to myself, "I paid that much money for this?"
Sensing my lack of enthusiasm, the landscaper urged me to "just wait and see." The next spring, the scene was still less than spectacular. And the weeds—oh, the weeds!
I waited some more. We pulled more weeds and applied fertilizer to the beds and kept waiting.
Each year a gardener pruned back the plants, shrubs, and trees. That didn't exactly look like progress to me. But what I could not see was that the sunshine, rain, fertilizer, pruning, and even the winter snows were helping those plants to grow bigger and stronger.
It has now been more than ten years since I put in that garden. These days I can step outdoors any time between April and October and see an array of beautiful flowers and plants.
It took years of careful oversight, but now my garden is fulfilling the purpose for which it was intended. It is a place of great beauty and sweet smells providing enjoyment to all who visit—a place where hearts are lifted toward the Creator.
Now here's my point in telling you all this: The One who has chosen you to be His own longs to find delight in the garden of your heart. As you walk in union and communion with Him, a sweet fragrance will be released and luscious fruit will be born—the fragrance and the fruit of His Spirit.
How can you make your heart a garden for God? Carefully tend it by spending time with Him in prayer and intimate worship.
The Epitome of Serenity
In his book How to Worship Jesus Christ, Joseph Carroll tells of a mother whose life of devotion and communion with the Lord Jesus made her spirit beautiful and fragrant. Carroll asked her, "What time do you rise to seek the Lord?"
She replied, "Oh, that is not my decision. I made a choice long ago that when He wanted to have fellowship with me, I was available." No matter the hour, when this woman sensed God calling her, she would get up out of bed, go to her piano stool, and worship her Lord.
Carroll asked, "How long do you stay?"
The woman answered, "Oh, that is up to Him. When He tells me to go back to bed, I go back. If He doesn't want me to sleep, I simply stay up."
"She was the epitome of serenity," Carroll commented. "She was Christ's and Christ's alone."
The Blessings of Communion with God
S. D. Gordon said, "Prayer wonderfully clears the vision, steadies the nerves, defines duty, stiffens the purpose, sweetens and strengthens the spirit."
It is no wonder, then, that Jesus' effectiveness in ministering to the needs of others was born out of His times of communion with His Father (Luke 5:16-17 ). In fact, whenever Jesus withdrew for a season to pray, the crowds were afterward drawn to Him like a magnet, for they saw in Him the likeness of His Father (Mark 6:46 , 54-56 ).
Each of us has the opportunity to cultivate the beauty of a daily devotional life. Time spent alone in the Word and prayer each day will bear fruit in our lives as we experience an ever-deepening intimacy with the heavenly Father.
Those who are willing to come apart from the clamor and demands of each day's activity in order to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His words will experience an intimacy that most believers will never know. The fruit of that devotion will be manifested in an orderly, peaceful life.
Should you choose to cultivate your heart as a garden of the Lord, you will be blessed and others will be blessed. And it is all, all, all for the Beloved.
© Revive Our Hearts. Adapted from A Place of Quiet Rest by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Used with permission. --
Mary E.Hickcox
www.CalvaryBaptistSM.orghttp://mary-neotes.blogspot.com/
