Believing the Promises of God - in His Word

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed… Without weakening in his faith… Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised. ~ Romans 4 [selected 18-21]



Tuesday, May 25, 2010

FROM SIMPLE HUMILTY


James 1:18-21 (The Message)
So, my very dear friends, don't get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all His creatures.

Act on What You Hear
Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage
. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. [emphasis added]


I don't study with The Message paraphrase, but since going to Jerusalem the Lord has directed me, for a time, to read this as a 'story' - about Him - and about my life in Him. I believe it is to gain a deeper clarity of life in our own modern times. God took me to several chapters this morning from 1 Corinthians - to Hebrews - to James. When I read this line in the last part of the above passage it blew me away.

Ponder that thought: Our gardener is God - landscaping us with His Word - making a salvation-garden of your life.

How does this speak to your life today?

Choosing JOY, Stephanie

9 comments:

Heart2Heart said...

Since I spend so much time in my garden, I love seeing the beauty of God in everything, from the green blades of grass that offer comfort and coolness on a hot summer day along with the beautiful rich deep leaves of the maple trees that teach us about the seasons each year when the leaves turn color and fall.

In the flowers and the many details there in, lies proof positive that God works in the details and is the creator of the world. There is no big bang, this is intelligent design by our creator God.


Love and Hugs ~ Kat

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

I want God's Word embedded in my flesh so that what pours out of me is the sweet fragrance of TRUTH! I'm not a huge fan of the message, but I like your take on reading it. I have a copy...

peace~elaine

LisaShaw said...

"Our gardener is God - landscaping us with His Word - making a salvation-garden of your life."

That is indeed a powerful, loving and incredible truth to ponder Stephanie.

He's the Potter that shapes my life.
He's the Navigator that guides my life and He's the Gardner that landscapes my life -- Aww, our Amazing GOD -- HE IS ALWAYS MAKING SURE to do something incredible with, in and through us for HIS glory.

I constantly stand in awe of HIM!

Much love to you.

Heart2Heart said...

Stephanie,

Please help me spread the word of a sister in Christ who so desperately needs help with a limited amount of time left.

http://godsheart-heart2heart.blogspot.com/2010/05/urgent-prayer-request.html

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

Beth Herring said...

I just love the visual of a 'salvation garden'. wow. I love how the Lord uses the ordinary and leads you to turn it into an awesome teaching tool.

Love you friend,
Beth

Yolanda said...

It reminds me of where He has me RIGHT now, IN MY CURRENT.

Thank you for this, you are such a delight to my day.

I love you and I'm so incredibly thankful for the Message; and that we are able to dig deep and seek and choose JOY as we go on to Higher Grounds.

trudi jane said...

how awesome that our Father is always lovingly working on us to make us beautiful, to create in us His character, as i carefully and lovingly tend over my plants (especially my fruit trees) in my garden so in know He is tending over me :-) thanks i like your post.

Camille said...

That is a beautiful picture Stephanie. How GREAT our WONDERFUL God is...HE is fashioning us exactly according to HIS perfect plan! I love the idea that we are clay in HIS hands...how precious to think that NOTHING happens to us without HIS careful shaping and fashioning...we are HIS workmanship. OH that we would be moldable (sp?) in HIS hands!

Have a wonderful day!
Blessings,
Camille

prashant said...

In the flowers and the many details there in, lies proof positive that God works in the details and is the creator of the world. There is no big bang, this is intelligent design by our creator God.
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