Growing your faith garden

A while back, I wrote a blog post about how sin is like weeds in our garden. You can read that blog post here. I’d like to take the gardening metaphor in another direction and write about how growing our faith is much like growing a garden.

When you start a garden, you dig up the soil (or plant in a raised garden bed or a large pot if digging’s not your thing or you’re physically unable to dig) and plant the seeds and/or bulbs.  We plant the seeds of our faith in Jesus in our hearts so that it will take root and grow larger over time, much like our plants grow larger.  

We water the ground and add fertilizer to our plants in order for them to grow up tall and strong, and also to produce fruit and vegetables if we have planted those kinds of seeds.  We feed our faith in Christ by prayer and spending time with God, worship, reading our Bible on a regular basis, and sitting under Biblical teaching.  Much like some plants grow better when they are around other plants, Christians can also grow in their faith through fellowship with other Christians.  All these things will help us grow the fruits of the Spirit, which are listed in Galatians 5:22.  

The water and fertilizer of both the garden and our faith in Jesus will produce a good harvest when the time is right.  But sometimes, despite our best efforts (or lack of effort), our faith and our gardens start to wither and die.  Maybe the weeds, both of sin and of plant, have taken over our spiritual and physical gardens and they need to be removed.  Maybe some of our plants need to be transplanted in other parts of the garden to get them growing again if they get too crowded.  If you’re in a church and you feel that you’re not being spiritually fed and the worship is dry, maybe it’s time for you to be transplanted to another church.  

Paul chastised the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3:1-22 for their lack of spiritual growth, although he used a food metaphor instead of a gardening metaphor.  But the same principle applies.  The Corinthians were not ready to learn about things that make for a deeper faith because they had not been feeding their faith correctly. 

Keep pulling those weeds (of sin and/or plant) and keep on watering and fertilizing!  I hope and pray that your spiritual garden and your physical garden are both growing well.  Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Diane

Don't fool yourself

April 1 is known as April Fool’s Day. It is not an official holiday, but it is a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on others. It has been celebrated in many countries around the world for many centuries. April Fool’s Day can also be called Atheist’s Day, as per Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1, where David writes: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

David’s son Solomon, who had wisdom given to him by God, wrote many proverbs about fools to contrast the fool’s behavior to that of wise people and in order that people would not become fools. Here is a summary of these proverbs about fools.

The attributes of a fool:

Fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).

Fools hate knowledge (Proverbs 1:22).

The mouth of the foolish is near destruction (Proverbs 10:14).

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes (Proverbs 12:15).

It is an abomination to fools to depart from evil (Proverbs 13:19).

In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride (Proverbs 14:3).

The folly of fools is deceit (Proverbs 14:8).

The foolishness of fools is folly (Proverbs 14:24).

A fool despises his father’s instruction (Proverbs 15:5).

The heart of the fool does not disperse knowledge (Proverbs 15:7).

The mouth of a fool feeds on foolishness (Proverbs 15:14)

A fool’s mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul (Proverbs 18:7).

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool (Proverbs 28:26).

The actions of a fool:

He spreads slander (Proverbs 10:18).

He does evil like a sport (Proverbs 10:23).

The heart of a fool proclaims foolishness (Proverbs 12:23).

Fools mock at sin (Proverbs 14:9).

A fool rages and is self-confident (Proverbs 14:16).

The mouth of fools pours forth foolishness (Proverbs 15:2).

The foolish woman pulls down her house with her hands (Proverbs 14:1).

A fool has delight in expressing his own heart (Proverbs 18:2).

A fool’s lips enter into contention and his mouth calls for blows (Proverbs 18:6).

The heart of fools is in the house of mirth (Ecclesiastes 7:4).

Anger rests in the bosom of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:9).

The results of foolishness:

The complacency of fools will destroy them (Proverbs 1:32).

Shame shall be the legacy of fools (Proverbs 3:35).

A foolish son is the grief of his mother (Proverbs 10:1).

A prating (chattering, babbling) fool will fall (Proverbs 10:8, 10).

Fools die for lack of wisdom (Proverbs 10:21).

A fool’s wrath is known at once (Proverbs 12:16).

A fool lays open his folly (Proverbs 13:16).

The companion of fools will be destroyed (Proverbs 13:20).

The folly of fools is deceit (Proverbs 14:8).

A foolish man despises his mother (Proverbs 15:20).

Honor is not fitting for a fool. (Proverbs 26:1).

God has no pleasure in fools (Ecclesiastes 4:4).

What should we do when we encounter a fool? Solomon gives good advice to us in Proverbs 14:7: “Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.” Paul also writes in Ephesians 5:15, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise.” 

Now that we know all about fools, we should make sure that we don’t follow in their footsteps.  We should fill our hearts and minds with God’s Word and learn wisdom. 

Thanks as always for reading!  See you next time!

 Diane

 

Overcomer

The book of Revelation is a book of the Bible that a lot of people say they don't understand, or maybe they just don't want to understand.  "It doesn't apply to us today, " they say. "It's about the future. I don't care about that."  Yet over twenty-five percent of the Bible is prophecies about the future. If God didn't want us to know what was going to happen in the future, He wouldn't have told us.  And Revelation is the only book of the Bible that promises blessings to those who read it and follow it. Revelation 1:3 reads: "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." God's time is not the same as human time, so "near" means something different to God than it does to us.  

Per Merriam-Webster, one of the definitions of "revelation" is "something that is revealed by God to humans." We Christians mostly refer to the book of Revelation as just Revelation, but the actual title of the book is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ."  The other books of the Bible were transcribed by men and inspired by God. Per Revelation 1:1, God gave Jesus the revelation in the book of Revelation to give to men. This last book in the Bible is not only directed to the Asian churches for correction and reproof (and for us as well), it also reveals what will happen in the last times, at the Second Coming, and what will happen after.  It also reveals what rewards we will receive for being faithful believers, or overcomers, as Jesus calls us.  There's a lot to dig out of the book of Revelation, but for this blog post, I'm going to concentrate on the first three chapters.  

In Revelation 1, John greets the seven churches of Asia. Like Paul's epistles, this book was forwarded from church to church to be read to each congregation, as per Jesus' instructions in Revelation 1:11. Revelation 1:7 reminds me of Zechariah 12:10-14, where all of Israel looks on the One who they pierced (Jesus) and they will mourn.  

In Revelation 1:9, John gives us some background as to where he is and why he is there.  In verse 10, John mentions that he was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, which means that he was in prayer on a Sunday.  He heard a voice behind him, which turns out to be Jesus since He refers to Himself as the Alpha and the Omega. 

John knew that voice.  He heard it for three years while Jesus walked on the earth.  John quickly turned around so that he could see Jesus, but He looked very different than He did when He was walking on Earth. In fact, His appearance was so different that it shocked John and he fainted. But Jesus laid His hand on John and comforted him.  Jesus explains about the seven stars in His right hand, which are the angels of the churches, and the seven lampstands, which are the churches. 

Jesus also instructs John to write down what he sees and hears and send it to the seven churches. He starts the letters right away in Revelation 2. The letters continue until the end of chapter 3. Jesus addresses each church in the first person. He could have told John, "Write that Jesus says to tell you," which would put the letters in the third person.  Jesus also addresses Himself by a different title for the letter for each church.  He has John address each letter to the angel of that particular church. The "angel" of the churches, per various commentators, are the pastors of the churches. 

Each letter to the churches has three parts.  In the first part of each letter, Jesus tells that particular church about the good things they have done or believed, to encourage them. Then in the second part of each letter,  Jesus tells them about what they have done wrong and what will happen if they don't correct that wrong.  In the third and final part of each letter, Jesus gives a promise for believers who stay faithful.  This is usually preceded by the phrase, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Sometimes this phrase is at the end of the letter.  Either way, it is the hint that the reproof/correction is finished. 

The table below summarizes and explains the first two parts of each letter.  Then I'll summarize what overcomers will receive in Heaven after the Rapture. You will only see entries for five churches in the table below because not all of the churches had done things they needed reproof for.  When you read the "What was done wrong" column, think about how that entry would translate to you and/or the modern church. 

What was done wrong:	How to correct what was done wrong:	What happens if the wrong isn’t corrected:
Nevertheless I (Jesus) have this against you, that you have left your first love.	Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works.	Else I (Jesus) will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
But I (Jesus) have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.	Repent.	Or else I (Jesus) will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
Nevertheless I (Jesus) have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.  And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.	Repent (implied, not in the text).	Indeed I (Jesus) will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I (Jesus) have not found your works perfect before God.	Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.	Therefore if you will not watch, I (Jesus) will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
I (Jesus) know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.	I (Jesus) counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.	Jesus doesn’t detail what would happen if the wrong isn’t corrected.

Now for the good news!  For those who keep the faith and are overcomers, here are the promised rewards:  

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

 I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.

I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.

To him I will give power over the nations—I will give him the morning star.

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

The "I" in each verse above refers to Jesus. Aren't these promises wonderful? They give us something to look forward to and they encourage us when we feel sad.  I wonder what Jesus' new name is, don't you?   How thrilling it will be when all these promises come true and we will be with Jesus eternally!  

Thanks for your patience and continued reading of my blog. I hope to write more soon.  See you next time!

Diane