Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World
Day 211 – Week 31 – Human Gardens
Scripture focus: In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. James 1:21 The Message
We’ve thought about the fruit of the spirit, but have you considered what a salvation-garden of life might look like? What kind of garden would it be – flowers or veggies? I have a neighbor who is the consummate gardening guru. Her yard is a riotous testimony to what one can accomplish with a very green thumb, a lot of hard work and a passion for the task at hand. Her gardens include both vegetables and flowers. Whether fruit, vegetable or flower – it is clear who does the heavy lifting when it comes to gardening – the gardener! This is awesome news for us. Think about this – we are the garden, and James is encouraging us to let the gardener, God, have his way with us! How awesome is that? He pulls the weeds, waters the lawn, plants the seeds, and prunes the bushes. We, his garden, in simple humility, allow God to do his thing.
What would a human garden look like? God’s Word reveals the answer. Here are a few things we might find growing in our garden, if we submitted to the Father’s touch…
God desires for us to settle down, living un-fretful lives. Evidently, God’s gardens aren’t filled with worry warts. Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4:6-7 The Message)
God thinks a mind is a terrible thing to waste. He has instructions for how we should be using it. Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (Philippians 4:8 The Message)
God has plenty to say about the fruit that is produced in a well-tended garden too. But for today’s devotional, let’s remember that how we think and what we think about matters. It affects productivity. Of course, God knows how we’re made and has this all figured out. But even humans are catching on to this principle! Let me leave you with a little scientific research that supports our theology. “When you set your mind to consciously take control of your thought life, you will find that it doesn’t take long for the benefits to set in. Research shows that an enriched environment of thinking positive, healthy thoughts can lead to significant structural changes in the brain’s cortex in only four days. Detoxing the brain by controlling your thought life won’t only make you feel better and fitter in body and mind; it will also make you smarter. Cutting-edge brain research over the past few decades, shows that intelligence is not static, but can be enhanced (or reduced) by your neurochemistry. You control your neurochemistry by your thought life; therefore you can make yourself healthier and smarter.” Who Switched Off My Brain? p. 114-115.
Recommended reading: 2 Chronicles 21 and 22 in the morning; Romans 11 and 12 in the evening
We’ve thought about the fruit of the spirit, but have you considered what a salvation-garden of life might look like? What kind of garden would it be – flowers or veggies? I have a neighbor who is the consummate gardening guru. Her yard is a riotous testimony to what one can accomplish with a very green thumb, a lot of hard work and a passion for the task at hand. Her gardens include both vegetables and flowers. Whether fruit, vegetable or flower – it is clear who does the heavy lifting when it comes to gardening – the gardener! This is awesome news for us. Think about this – we are the garden, and James is encouraging us to let the gardener, God, have his way with us! How awesome is that? He pulls the weeds, waters the lawn, plants the seeds, and prunes the bushes. We, his garden, in simple humility, allow God to do his thing.
What would a human garden look like? God’s Word reveals the answer. Here are a few things we might find growing in our garden, if we submitted to the Father’s touch…
God desires for us to settle down, living un-fretful lives. Evidently, God’s gardens aren’t filled with worry warts. Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4:6-7 The Message)
God thinks a mind is a terrible thing to waste. He has instructions for how we should be using it. Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (Philippians 4:8 The Message)
God has plenty to say about the fruit that is produced in a well-tended garden too. But for today’s devotional, let’s remember that how we think and what we think about matters. It affects productivity. Of course, God knows how we’re made and has this all figured out. But even humans are catching on to this principle! Let me leave you with a little scientific research that supports our theology. “When you set your mind to consciously take control of your thought life, you will find that it doesn’t take long for the benefits to set in. Research shows that an enriched environment of thinking positive, healthy thoughts can lead to significant structural changes in the brain’s cortex in only four days. Detoxing the brain by controlling your thought life won’t only make you feel better and fitter in body and mind; it will also make you smarter. Cutting-edge brain research over the past few decades, shows that intelligence is not static, but can be enhanced (or reduced) by your neurochemistry. You control your neurochemistry by your thought life; therefore you can make yourself healthier and smarter.” Who Switched Off My Brain? p. 114-115.
Recommended reading: 2 Chronicles 21 and 22 in the morning; Romans 11 and 12 in the evening
Copyright 2008 Northstar Community
No comments:
Post a Comment