The Lord's Garden

The Lord's Garden Christians studying God's Word for greater understanding, transformation, and discipleship.

02/04/2026

Praying is a whole body experience: mind, soul, and body...physical submission, a longing soul, and a receptive mind.

01/08/2026

Tonight at church, someone mentioned an area pastor announced Sunday morning that he would not be again. He stepped out of the pulpit. Now I dont know why, or whom. I do know other ministers who have done the same thing. They got tired of fighting God's people to do God's work. In the same breath, it was announced that many of our area churches are seeking pastors. I don't think that is true.

I do think there are a lot of family chapels looking for someone to marry them, bury them, and serve them, but not many churches looking for pastors. A few are looking for preachers, but will talk when a pastor is considered.

On the opposite side, I have seen many men of God who are not pastors, and even more who are not serving God's kingdom, but their own, particularly when it comes to interims. Very few of these pulpit fillers are called to the position. Rather, most are doing it only to fill their pocket. They preach a message they first wrote thirty years ago, and have rehashed every year when they go to a new interim position. Interims provide a place to feel good about still preaching God's word, with virtually no responsibility beyond the worship hour.

Neither group is walking through the narrow gate of true church practice...and we wonder why so little fruit is harvested, and the world is so absent of light.

Church, love and pray for your pastor; and tell him as much. Pastors, do not shirk the full accountability of the undershepherd; it exceeds verbal messages, to actually nourishment, care, protection, and guidance.

11/26/2025

Phil 1:10 "...that you may be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;"

Paul continues his thought on spiritual knowledge transforming the individual. He uses the term 'oven tested'.' It a reference to the largest production industry of the time...pottery. many thick pieces of ostraca are found because thick walled pots required little skill. Thinner walled, finer pottery was harder to make and of great cost. Yet even the best craftsman had work ruined when fired because of impurities in the clay. It is not just what we look like, but what we are made of which matters.

I've been watching an individual on social media. Crisis has befallen them, and they have begun posting scripture and asking for prayer to get through the moment. But it is not sincere. The external actions aren't matching the internal composition. They are posting half truths, in scripture and personal account. They are requesting prayer and justice, without admitting nor taking responsibility as the crisis was created by their action. Now they cry to their friends for support with a false story, not telling the whole truth of their wrongdoing in the matter.

Don't look down on this person, as every single one of us has done the same thing. "Lord, if you will just ________, then I promise to not get in the situation again." Everyone of us has petitioned God to get us out of a predicament in which we placed ourselves because of sin. We have all cried for justice, when the predicament is a result of God's justice, consequence for our disobedience.

I am glad they are turning to scripture and prayer, but they do not have spiritual knowledge, thus their perspective of God is akin to a genie in a bottle to grant selfish wishes, instead of Creator Lord to whom they owe everything. We must always apply scripture to ourselves first. God's word is not there to be weaponized against others to get what we want. His word conditions us, molds us, and makes us ready for the testing by fire in this fallen world. He is the Potter, we are the clay. We do not have the right to tell God how to shape us or what we want to be. It is however our privilege to live out the purpose God has for us, sincerely and blamelessly.

11/25/2025

"And this I pray, that your love may grow still more and more in knowledge and discrenment," Phil 1:9

Around Thanksgiving our prayers tend to increase toward appreciation and praise, and rightfully so. I wonder how much of our prayer time is selfishness, or for others. I have seen many an attempt of Wednesday night prayer become more of a gossip session than prayer time for others. More about a selfish desire to know what is happening, than earnest prayer.

Here Paul states my prayer for you is to gain knowledge and discernment, not nosy carnal knowledge but spiritual knowledge. The greek word used here is only directed toward spiritual knowledge throughout the new testament. Paul wants the Phillipi Christians to continue their sanctification, to go beyond salvation. He wants them to live out their purpose of salt and light, transforming the world around them so God's love, mercy, and grace may be experienced by all.

How many times have you opened your Bible searching for scriptures which reinforce your view? When we do so, we are not searching for God's truth, we are looking for a sword with which to attack someone else's viewpoint. That is the method Paul is talking about as discernment is also included. The Greek word referenced is 'counterfeit' which is exactly what we do too often with God's word when we study it. We look for verses which bolster us, and uproot our opponents. Something about speck and log comes to mind.

So how do we keep the proper attitude and perspective? Paul has already given us the path in the preceding verses: unity. Unity in one purpose: heaven bound ambassador here in a fallen world. Unity in providence: God's promises, His truth, His daily breath. Unity in partnership: fellowship beyong kinship, a longing to assemble together for worship, growth, and encouragement. Unity in our predicament: we are all sinners in need of the grace and mercy of God.

When we forsake church attendance, we miss out on kingdom training. Church is the place where we love one another. Where we learn scripture in an intentional way. Where we share our testimony. Where we sing praises to God. Where we sincerely welcome, appreciate, and encourage others. Sunday is not a recharge point for the week as a day of rest; it is a practice time for the other six days! Can you imagine the impact a handful of trained up, spiritual knowledgeable and not counterfeit Christians would have in their community?

You don't have to imagine, because you can make a difference starting today. As you pray with Thanksgiving in your heart, be appreciative for others. Pray for spiritual knowledge and guidance on how you may impact their life for Christ. Perhaps it is a neighbor and a tree, fence, or other trying event which poisons your soul towards them. Perhaps it is another minustry leader of whom you are jealous. Perhaps a family member or friend and malice words exchanged. Seek forgiveness, seek thankfulness, seek unification in Christ Jesus in your prayers.

11/21/2025

Philippians1:6 also has a purpose beyond the promise.

A sad truth is many who get saved never do anything else for God. They sit on the grace without works pew and revel in the doctrine of perseverance wrongly. God's promise has a purpose. A purpose to encourage us as we go about serving Him because we live in a fallen world, which actively chooses to reject Jesus Christ, just like we did before accepting the wonderful gift of salvation, and often still do in our daily walk.

Our sanctification is not about becoming divine, rather it is about seeing more of our sin and actively uprooting it from our daily life. For a while now I had been drifting, waiting for a church. Several times things have gotten close only to disintegrate for ridiculous reasons: over qualified, not mountain enough, not KJVO. Instead of perseverance, I became depressed. Instead of awaking and spending time in scripture and study, I would play games. As the Spirit convicted me, I would read a verse, call it good, and return to other activities. I was sliding God into my life, but serving Him was not a priority. We all do similar things in our own way, and even during those times... God still loves us despite our sin. His plan has a purpose of correcting and guiding us along the journey.

This verse also means we have a purpose. If sanctification is to make us more Christ like, then like Christ we are to be actively serving others. It is our purpose to seek and to save others who are lost. When you misplace something, do you sit and soak hoping it turns up, or do you seek it out? We go about turning over couch pillows, checking sofa cushions, looking in coat pockets, and retracing our steps repeatedlyuntil we find what we seek. The same actions should be a daily part of serving God. We need to turn over a new leaf and engage others throughout the day as we enter doorways, and stand in line and checkouts. We need to call and check on someone every day. We need to become more observant of the community needs around us, then create ministries to help the situation. The same path we travel everyday needs to be taken with God's eyes, not ours. Daily we can serve Him, even in the same footsteps each day, by serving others for Him with purpose and perseverance.

No more sitting and hoping others are saved, today we must seek them out.

11/20/2025

"...that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." Phil 1:6

What a verse! It is one of the best telling us about the doctrine of perseverance of the saints. We often start things and then falter along the way and don't complete them, or change horses midstream. But not God, He never gives up on us; He never fails to complete the task. Our process of sanctification can never be stopped. We cannot be taken from God's hand nor erased from the book of life regardless of our actions.

For a year I have been teaching the book of Jeremiah in preparation for a Revelation study. But there was life interference and weekly videos became sporadic, to monthly, to ceasing. I did not persevere because I saw little point to the futility. The past few days have been packed with the Holy Spirit saying, "I'm not finished with you...persevere." the past two nights I have tossed wide awake for hours with verses and illustrations pouring through my mind. After midnight, I surrendered an agreed to daily posts each morning, a blog of the greatness of God and His word. No alarm clock this morning and I feel refreshed. Then open up my tablet bible to study, and alas this verse was today's reading. Thank you Lord for your goodness and grace despite our, my, failure to live completely for you.

Have a blessed day, and see you in the morning as we persevere to make a difference in the world.

08/01/2025

"If a congregation splits over non-doctrine issues,
neither side is His church." - David Wayne

03/04/2025

Fat Tuesday is a sad mindset of many...
Sin as much as you want today then get religious on Sunday morning.

03/03/2025

AT&T ad "Connection changes everything"
Church works the same way; sincere connecting with people changes lives.
Theirs and Yours

03/02/2025

Scripture says our body is a temple of God. We are responsible for its condition, what we feed it, what we do to it, and how we use it. I Cor 3:16

03/01/2025

Revelation 1:10 says John was worshipping on the Lord's day. When we worship the Lord, we can hear Him, and see Him at work.
Don't neglect the power of gathering together and worshipping.

02/25/2025

"Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things." Revelation 1:19

These words to John by Jesus, sets up the letters to the churches. Every church should do the same today. Write down what was great about the 'good ol' days'. Write down the state of your church now. Write down what scripture says your church should look like. Now, how are you personally going to change to make the ideal future church become?

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