WEEDING IN GOD'S GARDEN

Re: WEEDING IN GOD'S GARDEN

Watch Your Words

Charles Knowlton

A prominent citizen and I shook hands on a deal to buy my house, as I was preparing to be transferred to another area. A smile of relief was on my face. But my relief disappeared a few weeks later, when I found that nothing had been done to keep our deal. By that time, I had already been transferred, and had acquired another house.

I had been taught that among honest people a handshake is an honored bond. I had to learn the hard way that not everyone lives up to this code.

In school, as young Americans, we all learned about “Honest Abe” Lincoln, and we were taught that George Washington would not tell a lie about chopping down the cherry tree. American history is filled with examples of men and women of integrity, who were determined to keep their word. Sadly, in a short few decades, it seems that many have forgotten—or have never been taught—the value of integrity. What our society has reaped from this is a way of life full of uncertainties and stresses. It is small wonder that so many do not keep their promises to God at baptism, or to their mate in the marriage vows.

I am reminded of the words of a poem someone sent to me:

Supposing today was your last day on earth,

The last mile of the journey you’ve trod;

After all of your struggles, how much are you worth,

And how much is your word worth to God?

God has given us this life to build character, and the integrity of our words and our actions is what character is all about. The Bible has a lot to say about the value of our words: “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). Our words and promises to others, as well as our meditations to ourselves, are of great importance in God’s eyes.

The poem I mentioned above ends with these lines:

We are only supposing,

But if it were real and we invoiced our deeds since our birth,

And we added up all that we’ve done in life’s deals,

How much are we really worth?

Today, we live in a world where practically everyone wants to be his or her own person. Commitment and obligation are just not part of their value system. In the book of Proverbs, we read some sobering truths about how God views the words we say and the promises we make: “These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren” (Proverbs 6:16-19).

Our words either honor us or condemn us. They are worth watching, and they shape our deeds. Many of today’s problems can be traced right back to a disregard for or a lack of commitment to truth.

Re: WEEDING IN GOD'S GARDEN

It is gardening time!

Roger Meyer (guest columnist)

Many people develop “gardening fever” in the spring. Ever since God planted Earth’s first garden—called the Garden of Eden—a number of very significant events have happened in gardens.

Springtime is favorite time of year for many people. Ever since God planted the Garden of Eden, mankind has been planting seeds and enjoying the fruits and the beauty of the many varieties of plants God created. Delicious vegetables created for nutrition, herbs for health and nuances of flavor, flowers for beauty and rich perfumes, and nut and fruit trees—all to delight our senses. All were created for man on this planet-sized garden we call Earth.

Contrary to a common saying, gardening is “the oldest profession.” It was Adam’s job as God tasked him with “tending and keeping” the garden (Genesis 2:15). Over the centuries, however, mankind has not done such a great job of tending and keeping. As with every other aspect of life, human beings have ignored God’s instructions and laws, and have reaped the penalties. Mankind almost always seems to need to learn its lessons the hard way, instead of obeying the plain instructions of its Creator. Even our agricultural practices, seeking to maximize short-term yield rather than to preserve the health of the soil, have again and again destroyed the delicate balance and perfect harmony of the chemistry and interaction of the soil, flora and fauna that the Creator designed.

God gave us vital instructions for maintaining our gardens. For instance, God said to let the land rest every seventh year—this is called a “land Sabbath.” Most farmers, however, ignore the land Sabbath and as a result suffer the consequences of deteriorated production. God also told mankind not to mingle the seeds—so, modern agriculture does exactly that, “playing God” by genetically modifying the very plants on which he depends for sustenance. People think they are improving upon nature, but the consequences will inevitably come, just as they ever have since Adam and Eve failed to obey the instructions of the Creator and were “fired” from the Garden of Eden—losing their job and home (Genesis 3:23-24).

This made necessary a pivotal event that happened thousands of years later in and around another garden—this one called Gethsemane. Jesus often visited this garden, as He did on the night when He was betrayed and arrested (Matthew 26; John 18). Christ was crucified with a garden nearby (John 19:41). In that garden was a tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus. After His death, Jesus remained in that tomb for three days and three nights before He was resurrected in that garden, where He was first seen early in the morning by Mary Magdalene.

When Christ returns, He will make the earth again like the Garden of Eden, bringing the “times of restoration” of which the Apostle Peter spoke (Acts 3:21). He will make the wilderness like Eden and the desert like the Garden of the Lord (Isaiah 51:3). He will restore the earth and comfort mankind after the devastation of the end of this age. He will give “beauty for ashes,” “rebuild the old ruins” and “repair the ruined cities.” He will restore righteousness to the earth. “For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations” (Isaiah 61:3-11).

Then, the Kingdom of God on planet Earth will grow like the proverbial mustard seed of which Jesus spoke (Luke 13:18-19). The kingdom will be like the mustard seed which a man took and put in his garden, and it grew and became a large tree. God’s kingdom will fill the whole earth.

Read more about that coming Kingdom in our inspiring booklet, The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like? Read it online, or order your own free printed copy.



WEEDING IN GOD'S GARDEN

Post Harry on Wed 08 Jun 2011, 09:02
Weeding in God's Garden

By Karen Talcott

The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:12

I planted Ruella, a purple flowering plant, in my front flowerbed about three years ago. It looked wonderful in the store, and one of the workers told me that the maintenance on it would be minimal. So, with gusto, I planted it all over my front flowerbed. It looked great for the first year or so, and I liked how it was filling in all the empty gaps between the other plants.

Fast forward a couple of years, and I now detest this intrusive flowering plant with a passion only true gardeners know! It spread and it spread, popping up in my grass, in the sidewalk, and all over the flowerbed. It was a pretty purple weed! A gardener's nightmare, and now, especially, mine.

After talking to a landscape expert, I found out that the only way to remove this plant was to dig it out with a shovel. So my husband, the kids, and I set out digging. We worked one Saturday afternoon for hours. Finally, we called it a day. We pulled out huge mounds of it and felt like we had accomplished something.

Yet, this was only the beginning. The bigger problem was that every stick, twig, and root that was left in the soil could regenerate and begin to grow again. And it did!

So it came to be that I had a conversation with God as I sat there sifting through mountains of dirt looking for small pieces of the Ruella.

"God, why am I out here? My back aches, and I am so hot and tired. Can't you help me out in some way?"

There was no answer from God, so I began to mutter under my breath, "I hate you, plant. I hate you and all your roots!"

Taking a moment to wipe away my sweat, I sat back in the dirt. At that moment, the light bulb turned on. I saw God's wonderful creation -- planet Earth -- and it, too, was filled with weeds. But the weeds were not of the plant variety. We humans were the weeds in God's garden.

Many of us have taken for granted the beautiful world that He created in seven glorious days. Our violence, anger, and environmental destruction have taken a toll on His beloved creation. I paused to think, "Does God mutter under His breath as He tries to clean up His garden?" Knowing the answer, I thanked God for this beautiful day and the magnificent world that He so lovingly created.