Faith

The Space Between the Flowers

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.  Genesis 2:8 KJV

“What are you doing?!” I shouted at my friend who had weeding in the perennial garden along the back wall.

“Look I pulled all the weeds out!” he said. I shook my head in amazement at the six feet of flower bed that now lay completely devoid of growth of any kind.

“But you pulled everything else out too. Where are the flowers?” I asked in confusion.

“I’m sorry there were so many weeds that I couldn’t tell which ones were the flowers.” He said sorrowfully.

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My fault had been in allowing the weeds to get so thick that it had become impossible to pull them out.  I had forgotten that a garden grows best when there is a space around the flowers.

Maybe that is why we sometimes feel alone and God seems silent. He has not forgotten us, but in the garden that is our soul He has chosen to make some space between the flowers. He pulls out and separates things from our lives so that we will bloom our brightest and most brilliant colors when the season is just right.

Top Secret!

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I love watching spy shows especially when they penetrate the most secure locations to rescue a friend. They usually learn the location of where the bad guys have hidden their buddy by picking up on top secret information.

But the good news today is that we don’t need a top security clearance to get access to God. God has put everything we need to know in plain sight in His word. Faith alone in Christ alone can open the door to His most secret place for even the smallest child.

Short Prayers Beat Long Speeches

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“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Luke 18:10 ESV

These two guys had a lot in common. . They both had jobs, families and bills and maybe were even neighbors. One morning they both decided to go to the prayer meeting. Maybe the Pharisee even smiled and nodded as he passed the tax collector on the street. But once inside the church door things began to change.

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The Pharisee went up front to the altar and began a long monologue about what a great guy he was. As he recited all his wonderful qualities he smiled then raised his voice for the big finale, “Thank God I am better than that tax collector over there: Amen!”

The tax collector on the other hand woke up that morning realizing what a mess he had made of his life. Maybe he remembered his mother’s prayers and his father’s tears over the life he had chosen to live. So he slowly set out for church where he hadn’t been for years and looked for a private corner to pray. “God forgive me, I’m the biggest sinner in town.” He said. Not knowing what else to add, he said, “Amen!” then turned and left.

As God cupped His ears to listen, He soon grew weary of the Pharisee’s loud but as He listened to the tax collector he began to smile. Then God sent off a special delivery package of forgiveness along with a personal invitation for dinner. On the return address was clearly written, “Jesus friend of sinners!”