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Once in awhile the Lord stirs me to share something I have learned with others. I have for the past year sent letters of encouragement to women in my church. With the Spring weather and that hint of excited anticipation of the warm weather, the Lord gave me the following letter to share with all my sisters in the Lord! May it be a blessing to all! Dear Sisters, Isaiah 45:8 "Drip down, O heavens, from above, And let the clouds pour down righteousness; Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, And righteousness spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it. April Showers bring May Flowers As the weather grows warmer, thoughts turn to the outdoors. As I look around green shoots are pushing up through the ground and trees are budding with the leaves soon to appear! Life began in a Garden...Once again my thoughts turn to having a garden. I am one who has two hands full of black thumbs! In fact I have been known to kill silk flowers! I have looked for a book on “Gardening for Dummies” but could not find one. SO I turn to the Lord instead. The Lord led me to Ezekiel 17:8 "It was planted in good soil beside abundant waters, that it might yield branches and bear fruit, and become a splendid vine."' (1) you must first prepare the soil in which you are going to plant it. In Matthew 13:3-8 Jesus tells us ..it cannot be planted on concrete, for it will not be accepted. It must not be rocky soil, for it's roots will not be able to take a firm hold and will soon die. It must not be thorny soil, for the thorns and weeds will soon choke your plant. It then will either die or it's growth will be stunted! Choose fertile, healthy soil and your garden will grow and blossom! The soil represents your heart and the plant is your acceptance of Jesus in your life. Today prepare your heart so it will cause you to grow in love, wisdom and service to God! (2) For your garden to thrive and flourish, you must take daily care of it. (a) you must water it---have you read His Word this day? (b) you must take care to weed it---have you talked to God today? Have you sought His presence? Have you removed the "weeds" of the sins in your life? (c) is it receiving sunlight?---are you in fellowship with other believers? Are you gathering with fellow believers to Praise God, to Learn of Him and to gather strength to do His Will for your life?! If you take good care of your gardens, it's beauty will give you pleasure. Eccl 5:19 Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.
All sunshine and no rain makes a desert! As I went to look at a local nursery for plants for my garden, I was intrigued by the Rose. Roses are sold as short, stumpy and thorny bushes. It’s bleak ugly appearance belies the beauty it will produce. Do you know what a thorn is? It is an abortive stem that hardens to a sharp point. It actually helps to protect the plant from those who would harm it. Paul talked of having a thorn in 2 Cor 12:7 And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me-- to keep me from exalting myself!
Gen 1:29 Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;
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