Lessons from my garden

 

Weeds

I’ve just spent much of the day digging up weeds from the garden. It’s been raining solidly for a few days, and today’s lull has enabled me to do so more easily than usual. As I worked away, I contemplated how the things in nature can often reflect or symbolise spiritual characteristics. Jesus is very often in my thoughts, but never more so than when I’m in the garden, enjoying God’s creation.

Weeds are like sin. They’re persistent. They are always present. They spoil things, threaten the health of a plant and in the worst-case scenario, they can kill it.

My mother taught me to weed when I was a little girl. You have to be able to identify weeds from flower shoots or seedlings. You have to firmly pull or dig out the whole weed, roots included. You have to shake off the soil, the good stuff, from around the roots. Finally, you have to dispose of the weed where it can’t shed any seeds or take root again.

So it is with sin. Weeds are usually the first thing to appear on empty ground. Give space for sin in your life and the temptations will come thick and fast, shedding their seeds of further temptation.

^“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece.” (Proverbs 16:27). Empty spaces in our lives e.g. having little to do, having lots of time, not connecting with others, can lead to wrong ways of thinking and wrong actions.

If you just pull the foliage off a weed and leave the roots, the area will look fine for a while, but it doesn’t take long for the weeds to reappear. Pull a weed out with the roots and it will soon be dead. Persistent sins need to be rooted out. Don’t just take a couple of corrective steps, acknowledge your problem and seek deep cleansing and healing. This might involve drastic changes. It might need you to seek someone to whom you can be accountable. It may require therapy.

“…If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.” (Matthew 18:8,9)

Mulching is a good way to tackle weeds or prevent them. My garden mulcher is one of my favourite tools.  I mulch with shredded cardboard and shredded clippings. I see the Bible as a ready source of spiritual mulch. That little, sneaky tempting voice of Satan is no match for the mighty word of God. It can be a great covering in times of temptation. As the psalmist says:

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” (Psalm 119:11-16)

Another way of tackling weeds is to ensure that the healthy plants that you want in your garden crowd them out. Ground covers and lots of plantings are an excellent way of doing this. Satan is not so happy or effective when a Christian’s life in the spirit is flourishing. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” – Paul writes to the believers in Colossae (Colossians 3:23). Let the focus of your mind and deeds be on God: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Prayer and Christian fellowship, as well as studying God’s word will help our faith to grow.

We all sin and fall short. Sin and temptation are always with us. Praise God that through Christ we have a Saviour who has set us free from the bondage of sin and death and daily invites us to share a new life, the best life with Him.

 

 

 

 

Little prayers

 "Father, lead me day by day

Ever in Your own sweet way

Teach me to be pure and true

Show me what I ought to do. Amen

 

 

Gentle Jesus, meek and mild

Look upon this little child

Pity my simplicity

Teach me Lord, to come to Thee. Amen

I was fortunate as a child to have parents that believed in God, who attended church and who taught me to pray. These two little prayers are ones that my earthly Father taught me at a young age. After saying them at bedtime I would also ask God to bless by name my family members and more generally my "little friends and animals."We were a family that loved animals, our pets and the wild creatures that lived around us. 

These little prayers have stayed with me all my life, well into adult years. Whilst they are not the basis of my prayer life now, they remind me of the love that God feels for little children and how we must come to Him not with the intellect and accomplishments of our lives, but with the simple faith and love of a child.

Sometimes when I cannot sleep, when the worries and cares of this life surround me, I will pray again the words that my Dad taught me, and God replies with comfort and peace.  

Rest in Peace, Your Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

 

We’ve lived through history in the last two weeks, with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. I cannot remember in my lifetime seeing such an outpouring of grief at the passing of a public figure. For many of us the Queen was the only monarch we had known throughout our lives. Her reign of seventy years is almost unprecedented in world history.

Seldom has a public figure commanded such admiration, respect and deep devotion as Her Majesty. As well as being Queen of Great Britain, she was also the Queen of other nations, including my country of Australia. As such, through the British Commonwealth she was someone who united the world in friendship and cooperation.

We have been aware over the decades of the knowledge that the Queen had for national and international affairs and how concerned she was for the welfare of all. As well as royal visits to Australia, there were many occasions such as recent bushfires and floods when messages of concern and support were forthcoming from the Queen and other members of the Royal Family.

Queen Elizabeth II not only publicly proclaimed her Christian faith, she lived it wholeheartedly. From her earliest promises to serve the people, through her Christmas messages and finally to the gospel messages that she planned to be read at her funeral, she gave witness to her trust and belief in God and salvation through Jesus Christ. Hers was a life of love and service, one worthy to be emulated.

Thank You, Your Majesty, for your example.

It now lies with Christians everywhere to pray for King Charles III and the Royal Family, that they would know God’s guidance and wisdom to lead well. May each one have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. May they live in peace and safety.

I pray that these words from Psalm 21 might be applicable to King Charles III:

“The king rejoices in your strength, Lord.
    How great is his joy in the victories you give!

² You have granted him his heart’s desire
    and have not withheld the request of his lips.^[b]
3 You came to greet him with rich blessings
    and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
⁴ He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
    length of days, for ever and ever.
⁵ Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
    you have bestowed on him splendour and majesty.
⁶ Surely you have granted him unending blessings
    and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
⁷ For the king trusts in the Lord;
    through the unfailing love of the Most High
    he will not be shaken.

(Ps 21:1-7)

 

As Queen Elizabeth II was an advocate for tree planting, I have planted two shrubs in my native garden in her memory : Leptospermum "Burgundy Queen" and Grevillea "Molly"

 

Easy morning and night time prayers

Dear Father God,

I acknowledge You as God over all things. Be glorified today I pray. Thank You for Jesus and Your blessed Holy Spirit. Thank You for this new day and  I commit my life to You. I pray You will go before me today; that You will be beside me every step of the way; and that You will attend to all that I leave behind me. 

I pray for .....family, friends, situations etc.

In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

Dear Father God,

Thank You for this day. Thank You for Your many blessings. I pray that You will give me a good night's sleep tonight, that I might do Your will tomorrow. In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

 

 

 

Book Review – “The Four Loves “by C.S.Lewis

 

Some of C.S.Lewis’ works are easier to read than others. His style varies from deeply theological academic-style prose to more lightweight fantasy fiction. One thing all his works have in common- they never fail to move the reader and provoke contemplation of the subject matter. I would place “The Four Loves” mid -range on the scale of readability. I would place it top of the range as far as provoking further thought and discussion.

“Love is love” is a catch cry often heard today. But what is love? Is it always love? The English language does not allow for its many nuances. I do not love my husband in the same way that I love my children. I don’t love my dog in the same way that I love my sister. I don’t love to eat pasta in the same way that I love to knit blankets to give away to strangers. I love none of these things in the same way that I love Jesus.

There are many words that hover around, unseen in the proximity of love- lust, mateship, gratification, friendship, faith, dependency, self-gratification. There are other words that used to be hanging around that have seemingly been pushed aside as society changes – fidelity, sacrifice, abstinence, perseverance.

Sixty years ago, Lewis wrote this book and attempted to describe four types of love – Affection, Friendship, Eros and Charity. In each case with immaculate thoroughness of thought he details the differences between each type. There are also characteristics common to all. As humans we need love- we need to receive love and we need to give love. It’s always an interrelated transaction.

I almost think that this is a book that could be read in reverse, because Lewis leaves the highest form of love, that of the love of God, until the last section. (It could be argued that God’s love runs through all the other sections regardless.) God of course, is the ultimate giver of love. He loved us before He even created us. He gave His Son Jesus to die for us. He sent His Holy Spirit to be with us throughout this earthly life we live, for those of us who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour. There is no greater or more perfect love in this imperfect world.

As a parent with a child, there is no love without boundaries. Live according to God’s principles in the Bible (and that means reading and studying the Bible) and God’s love will be your guiding light. The devil is also an expert on love. He loves to steal, kill and destroy. He will tempt you with things that you might “love” i.e., that will bring you personal gratification. They will seem so attractive and desirable. Then they will ultimately take away your happiness, salvation, life. I found it profoundly moving to read these words by Lewis on the subject of erotic love:

“Eros, honoured without reservation and obeyed unconditionally, becomes a demon. And this is just how he claims to be honoured and obeyed. Divinely indifferent to our selfishness, he is also demoniacally rebellious to every claim of God or Man that would oppose him. “

Like many of Lewis’ works, “The Four Loves” is a timeless classic which challenges the reader today. I thoroughly recommend it.