Philippians 4:11 I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content.

These words show us that contentment is not a natural propensity of man. “Ill weeds grow apace.” Covetousness, discontent, and murmuring are as natural to man as thorns are to the soil. We need not sow thistles and brambles; they come up naturally enough, because they are indigenous to earth: and so, we need not teach men to complain; they complain fast enough without any education. But the precious things of the earth must be cultivated. If we would have wheat, we must plough and sow; if we want flowers, there must be the garden, and all the gardener’s care. Now, contentment is one of the flowers of heaven, and if we would have it, it must be cultivated; it will not grow in us by nature; it is the new nature alone that can produce it, and even then we must be specially careful and watchful that we maintain and cultivate the grace which God has sown in us. Paul says, “I have learned . . . to be content;” as much as to say, he did not know how at one time. It cost him some pains to attain to the mystery of that great truth. No doubt he sometimes thought he had learned, and then broke down. And when at last he had attained unto it, and could say, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content,” he was an old, grey-headed man, upon the borders of the grave-a poor prisoner shut up in Nero‘s dungeon at Rome. We might well be willing to endure Paul’s infirmities, and share the cold dungeon with him, if we too might by any means attain unto his good degree. Do not indulge the notion that you can be contented with learning, or learn without discipline. It is not a power that may be exercised naturally, but a science to be acquired gradually. We know this from experience. Brother, hush that murmur, natural though it be, and continue a diligent pupil in the College of Content.

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“I called him alone and blessed him” (Isa. li. 2).

When we were in the East we noticed the beautiful process of raising rice. The rice is sown on a morass of mud and water, ploughed up by great buffaloes, and after a few weeks it springs up and appears above the water with its beautiful pale green shoots. The seed has been sown very thickly and the plants are clustered together in great numbers, so that you can pull up a score at a single handful. But now comes the process of transplanting. He first plants us and lets us grow very close to some of His children, and in great clusters in the nursery or the hothouse, but when we reach a certain stage we must be transplanted, or come to nothing. He calls us out by His Spirit and Providence into situations where we have to lean directly on Him, where He puts upon us a weight of responsibility and service so great that we have an opportunity of developing and are thrown upon the great resources of His grace.

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is; for he shall be like a tree planted by the waters and that spreadeth out her roots by the rivers.”

http://devotionals.ochristian.com/a-b-simpson-devotional.shtml

 

Exodus 28:38 The iniquity of the holy things.

What a veil is lifted up by these words, and what a disclosure is made! It will be humbling and profitable for us to pause awhile and see this sad sight.

The iniquities of our public worship, its hypocrisy, formality, lukewarmness, irreverence, wandering of heart and forgetfulness of God, what a full measure have we there! Our work for the Lord, its emulation, selfishness, carelessness, slackness, unbelief, what a mass of defilement is there! Our private devotions, their laxity, coldness, neglect, sleepiness, and vanity, what a mountain of dead earth is there!

If we looked more carefully we should find this iniquity to be far greater than appears at first sight. Dr. Payson, writing to his brother, says, “My parish, as well as my heart, very much resembles the garden of the sluggard; and what is worse, I find that very many of my desires for the melioration of both, proceed either from pride or vanity or indolence. I look at the weeds which overspread my garden, and breathe out an earnest wish that they were eradicated. But why? What prompts the wish? It may be that I may walk out and say to myself, ‘In what fine order is my garden kept!’ This is pride. Or, it may be that my neighbours may look over the wall and say, ‘How finely your garden flourishes!’ This is vanity. Or I may wish for the destruction of the weeds, because I am weary of pulling them up. This is indolence.”

So that even our desires after holiness may be polluted by ill motives. Under the greenest sods worms hide themselves; we need not look long to discover them. How cheering is the thought, that when the High Priest bore the iniquity of the holy things he wore upon his brow the words, “HOLINESS TO THE LORD:” and even so while Jesus bears our sin, He presents before His Father’s face not our unholiness, but his own holiness. O for grace to view our great High Priest by the eye of faith!

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The Lord God put him into the Garden. Genesis 2:15

Thus God started man in an ideal home. Memories of Eden, exquisite as dreams, weave the background of human life. Fellowship with the Creator, who walked its glades; its river, trees, and fruits; its blessed companionship; its light and ennobling toils – how fair the picture!

The Garden of Eden. – That was God’s ideal. When men point thee to the scars on the world’s face, left by the trail of the Arab slaver, the march of the army, the decaying glory of human civilization, and ask how such things are consistent with God’s love, point to that garden and say, “That is what the love of God meant for man; Satan and sin have wrought this.”

The Garden of Gethsemane. – When man forfeited Paradise, the Saviour was revealed to regain it. He trod the winepress alone in the shadowed garden of the olive trees, that through its glades He might pass to His cross, and so make the wastes of sin bloom again as Eden. Is it wonderful that another Paradise is possible, when He sowed its seeds and watered the soil with His blood?

Turning wastes into gardens. – In Eden man wrought as God’s fellow worker; and we are called each day to do something toward reconstructing the Lost Paradise. Find thy part in delving, sowing, watering, or tending the tender shoots! Seek that thine heart should be an Eden, kept sacred for thy King, and endeavor thy best to plant gardens where hitherto sand-wastes and thorn, thickets have prevailed. Then, “instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

http://devotionals.ochristian.com/f-b-meyer-devotional.shtml

In the Garden

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

My wife, Martie, and I had the privilege of traveling to England. While we were there, we visited Hampton Court—the home of King Henry VIII. The first thing we noticed was the beautiful gardens. As an amateur gardener myself, I marveled at the lush green lawns and the perfectly manicured trees, shrubs, and the vibrancy of the flowers. Standing in the middle of all that, I couldn’t help but think back several hundred years to the gardener who designed and maintained this immaculate spread of beauty for the honor of the king. Under the authority of King Henry, he managed the garden for one purpose—to bring pleasure to the king and to create beauty that would bring the king honor and glory in the eyes of every guest who was entertained at Hampton Court.

Connect the dots. The gardener for King Henry and the follower of Christ have something in common—except for the fact that our King is the King of kings! We have been chosen to manage the “gardens” of our lives in ways that bring pleasure and glory to our King, Jesus. I can’t help but think of the shame and displeasure it would have brought to King Henry if his gardener had slacked off, leaving the gardens weed-infested and overgrown when the king entertained important guests at Hampton Court. He wouldn’t have been gardener for long if that had been the case. How much more important it is for us to keep our lives free of the stuff that brings shame and damage to the reputation of Jesus. As gardeners of God’s garden in our lives, how important it is for us to be constantly vigilant to keep the weeds out and to prune the creepy things so they don’t take over and spoil the beauty. We all know what the weeds and creepy things are in our lives. So the issue is not ignorance on what to pull out and cut back, but rather diligence in taking the necessary steps to eliminate the damaging elements and to enhance the good and beautiful things so that we keep our lives looking good for the King!

And speaking of gardening, if you are looking for a good garden manual that delineates what to keep out and what should flourish, then Paul’s words to the Galatian Christians is a great place to start. In Galatians 5:16-24, he states that the weeds of the flesh are things like sexual immorality, idolatry, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, envy, and drunkenness! By contrast, he goes on to say that the fruit—or in this case the beautiful flowers—of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

People pass by the garden of your life every day—all kinds of people—so take a good look at your garden. Is it a source of shame or of glory to your King?

Keep the weeds pulled, prune the creepy things, and let the garden of your life grow to His glory.

YOUR JOURNEY…

• Write down a list of the major weeds and creepy things that you have permitted to go unchecked in the garden of your life. Make a plan to weed them out and to replace them with actions and attitudes that reflect the beauty and glory of your King.
• Share your new gardening plan with a friend who will inspect your garden now and then to see how you are doing.
• The Hampton Court Gardens have lasted for centuries. What would you like your children and grandchildren to remember about the garden of your life long after you are gone? What should you pull out to guarantee a positive legacy for Christ?

http://getmorestrength.org/daily/in-the-garden/