Unquestionable History

I believe that Christians should always speak to and of one another with respect, and when we have issues with each other, we should address those issues with the goal of our unity in Christ and the integrity of our faith.

In that spirit, I am addressing recent opinions of theologians concerning Answers in Genesis and other Christian organizations and individuals, including me, who support such ministries and ascribe to their theology concerning the place of Creation in evangelism and apologetics.

As a Christian who ascribes to such theology, I am of the opinion that Creation, as revealed in the Bible, is unquestionable history. In both the Old and New Testaments, the first eleven chapters of Genesis, including the first six days, are accepted as literal history by all the writers who touch on it and by Jesus Christ Himself. Christians who accept this history must, as a matter of course, reject any historical “science” that contradicts it: both cannot be true.

This includes the Big Bang, star and planet formation, the long age of the universe and the earth, and the evolution of plant and animal life from other, less complex life forms. Creationists do not attack science or scientists, but they do stand on the authority of the biblical record and refute that which contradicts the Word of God.

Even a quick tour of the Answers in Genesis website would demonstrate to anyone that operational science supports and is supported by the Word of God. “Answers in Genesis” is, first and foremost, a ministry that promotes, preaches, and demonstrates the reliability and authority of the Bible.

Genesis, as recorded in the Bible, is the foundation of the Gospel. If the Big Bang created, God did not, and the writer of Hebrews is in error when he says,

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear,”

because even the infinitesimal dot required for the Big Bang is a thing which does appear.

If birds evolved from reptiles, God did not create them as He records in Genesis 1:20. If the Sun and stars existed before Earth did, the biblical record is false in Genesis 1:14-18. If Earth was a hot, molten mass in the beginning, then the record of Genesis is false in Genesis 1:2.

If God created different things throughout long ages, then the order of creation in Genesis is wrong, as it says that plants were created before the sun and moon. If animals died for millions of years before man, then Adam, through sin, did not bring death into the world as recorded in God’s Word, and God’s Word is false in Romans 5:12 & 17.

If the “fossil record” was laid down over millions of years, then it was not laid down in a global flood, and God’s record of worldwide judgment is false in Genesis 6:17. If anything other than a six-day creation is true, then the words from God’s own finger as witnessed by Moses and recorded in Exodus 20:11 are false:

“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

If the Word of God cannot be trusted in its historical record of Creation, it cannot be trusted in its revelation of our Savior. This is a truth that the evolutionists and atheists understand, and it is the foundation of their argument against the authority of the Bible and faith in Jesus Christ.

Many of them recognize and capitalize on the fact that Christian people accept evolution to some degree, and they speak of unity in support of their “science,” which is really just naturalistic religion: no form of evolution can be or has ever been proven.

They realize that if they can erode the foundation God lay in Genesis one and two, they can deny God’s judgment in Noah’s flood. If they can deny past judgment to which Jesus Himself refers in Matthew 24, they can deny future judgment to which Jesus also refers, making salvation from that judgment pointless and Christ a liar. Peter speaks to this problem when he seeks to bring believers into remembrance of God’s ownership and power over His creation in 2Peter 2:5,

“And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly,”

and in 2Peter 3:5-7,

“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

Because of the gravity of a correct understanding of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, I do not think it is proper or prudent to view creation as a side issue or as only an “issue for debate among Christians.” I think the Creation Museum and Christians who stand on the Word of God contrary to the wisdom of the world are a powerful testimony to the authority and reliability of the Bible.

Answers in Genesis has been demonstrating the Bible’s authority and reliability for many years through its various ministries and materials, and since its opening less than two years ago, more than 650,000 people have visited the Creation Museum and been strengthened in their faith in the reliability and authority of the Bible or challenged in their faith in the world’s wisdom.

Standing on the historical and scientific truth of the Bible’s account of creation is proven to be a powerful evangelical tool in bringing people to faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

It is true that the world hates Answers in Genesis and we who agree with them, but that hatred is not based on some offense we have committed. Such hatred was predicted by Christ, who comforts us with His words in Matthew 5:11:

“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”

May God bless you in all you do for Him,

Teresa Beck

About Communion

Worthy  Written and perfomed by Kenneth and teresa Beck, ©copyright 2008.

Some one once asked, “Does it make a difference, when observing the Lord’s Supper or Communion, if people use wine or grape juice?”

Whatever drink is used; it’s a matter of the heart regardless of the technicalities.

We remember what God did; He sent His only begotten son to die in our place.

We remember what The Lord Jesus did; He took our sin upon him and was broken on our behalf.

We remember what we have done and how His blood cleanses us from all sin.

Then we ask forgiveness as we remember all the grace God has given us in Christ Jesus.

We praise Him for it all, and are renewed in our hearts and minds because we take the time to remember and share that memory together with one another in Love and holiness.

Water, wine, juice, milk, does it really matter as long as we observe the sacrament with obedience and an attitude of praise, honor, and thanksgiving to the One who gave us the sacrament?

Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

Obedience, Not Judgment

My husband and I were the coordinators for the foot washing area Saturday Dec. 13 at Christmas Gift 2008. The outpouring of Christ’s love to our homeless guests by the many volunteers who came was so beautiful and wonderful. I know that many people believe that homeless people are lazy, shiftless people, and that may be true of some of them, just as it is true of many people who are not homeless.

The fact is that our purpose is not to decide whether people are worthy of our help based on why they are homeless, but to help them based on God’s call to His people to feed the hungry and clothe the naked because “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord” (Proverbs 19:1), and “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Jesus)” (Matthew 25:40) Regardless of our honored guests’ motivation for coming or their reasons for being homeless, we are called to share the love of Christ to all men, beginning with the least of all men.

Yes, the cost of the facility is, in my opinion, exorbitant. However, we have to have the event in a place that is sufficient to serve our honored guests, and we are depending on God’s people to give the money to cover the cost. Would it be nice if the city of Dallas donated the use of the facility? Sure. But the city’s donation would deprive the family of God of the honor and privilege of giving to God’s work. It is the body of Christ that is called to serve and to give, not the city, the state, or the federal government. If we don’t raise enough money to pay the debt, it is the fault of Christians, not the fault of some government entity.

My husband and I might not have opened our eyes to the plague of homelessness if it had not been for Susie Jennings and Operation Care Dallas. Because of a radio advertisement last year, we attended Christmas Gift 2007 so that we could wash people’s feet. Now, we cannot see ourselves living our lives without somehow ministering to the precious people who are served by Operation Care Dallas and the many other homeless and needy ministries in the Metroplex. Are we rich? No. We are, however, spiritually rich in that Christ has allowed us the privilege to be his hands and feet through this ministry.

Teresa

Christmas Gift 2008, a quick testimonial

Susie Jennings called us “Gideon’s Army.” At first I thought it was a good pep rally slogan, but as the time drew closer for Christmas gift 2008, I began to realize that it was more truth than slogan. We had a difficult time drawing volunteers and most of them came to register the day of the event. That meant that many were unprepared and did not know what to expect. It also meant that in the midst of ministering and keeping everything organized, we had to give instruction upon instruction. And like Gideon, I was afraid and constantly laying the fleece on the lawn!

I wish all of Christianity would work together the way all the volunteers did that day. Not only did they help those in need and restore some hope for some of them, they were a testimony to the whole country of what a Christian is supposed to be. They set themselves aside and sacrificed their time and bodies for the work of God. This is what it means to be Christ-like, I think. After all, what did our Lord do? He set aside the glory he had with the Father and died on the cross for us. This is also what the “Foot-Washing” ministry represents:  humility and sacrifice for others for His glory and praise.

My wife and I are the “foot-washing” coordinators that managed the shoe area for this year’s event. We were pretty busy, and I was only able to wash one man’s feet and give him some time and shoes. That is not to say the blessings were lacking! I saw people crying with volunteers, not just general teary-eyed stuff but big crocodile tears like a child! There were both men and women who had a moment of joy and relief. And the volunteers so full of God’s love and compassion did not hesitate to take people in their arms and just hold them. The first person I saw with tears of joy was my own wife on the night before the event.

We arrived on Friday evening late for the set-up because my wife had to work, and we had to check into our hotel room. I was worried that we would look bad for showing up three and half hours late. There was only one other person in our area who was not even part of our team when we got there. There were others in various areas but not many. A couple of volunteers had come and left before we arrived I think, but what we found was an unexpected miracle! There were literally hundreds of steel-toed combat boots! Military issue boots and on the heel the US Marine Corp insignia, and no one, not even the board members knew where they came from or who sent them. Teresa turned to me crying saying, “Isn’t God so good! Look at this!” With a smile I simply said, “God did this.”

Those boots and even the tennis shoes lasted through three o’clock before we ran out of average sizes. After three, which was the shut down time, is when we began to get low on shoes. We made our goal and most all of the guests were shoed (some got two pairs although they were not supposed to). We still had some left over too, mostly the smaller sizes.

You see, we had been concerned that we did not do enough through the year to help gather donations and volunteers. We were disappointed because out of all the churches we did contact, Rock Creek Baptist Church was the only one that responded. They were also the only Church who invited me to present to the congregation. That is one local Church out of two hundred that we sent information to, and One of three that I spoke directly to the Pastor. They provided volunteers and gathered shoe donations, and I want to thank them personally for their obedience to the call of God.

Also, the online ministry, “The United Christian Faith Ministries,” went far beyond the call of duty. They prayed for OCD and us continually, offered me good personal counsel, donated money, and Dale Akers, pastor of a small church in Olney Ill. of about twenty five people, made three hundred hand made winter hats to offer for the needy folks here in Texas, and I’ll tell you that one small work blessed hundreds, perhaps thousands of people. They stand out as a giant among churches.

What the Lord taught me was something about His faithfulness. Those boots were an indication of God’s grace to me concerning my own faithlessness. I have beaten myself up for months thinking I wasn’t doing my duty well enough and that I am too sinful to be of any use: how foolish! The whole time the Lord has been telling me by the Word and by Christian people that He is taking care of everything. He proved His Word and His faithfulness, and increased my trust and faith, again!

Psa 91:4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

This is the scripture I read on Friday before we left to go do our job. It was sent to me by Rhenae Downs, one of our volunteer team members in a daily article she gets from “Homily Grits.” From the time I read the Psalm I was thinking about what it meant that “His faithfulness” is a shield and buckler. A worthy saying occurred to me, “When we are faithless, He remains faithful.” A worthy saying indeed! God took care of everything and taught his servants great and wonderful things about Himself, about how to minister His grace to others, and about perseverance. The Lord personally taught me, the guy that is too sinful to be used for anything good! God’s grace is much bigger and broader than we will ever understand!

There were many things that the OCD staff tried this year, some worked and some did not work so well. That did not stop God’s grace from flowing. For every one problem, there were at least two blessings. Now I can only truly testify about my own area, but I’ll bet that every manager would testify to that statement. One of my favorite moments was speaking with a volunteer, Chris Johnson, who is a big man. I am pretty good size at six feet and one hundred eighty five pounds, but Chris is a head and shoulder above me.

I saw in his eyes the same humble broken heart I had experienced the year before. I saw in his face that glow of being filled with The Holy Spirit. I was watching him as he eagerly ministered to many of our guests. He was kind and gentle and he was non-stop the whole morning till about twelve thirty. He never complained about gloves being too small for his hands, or things not running the way he would have them, etc. I came to him after he was finished with one of the guests and I told him how impressed I was at all he is doing. He told me how he loved this foot-washing ministry and how he was concerned that he might not be doing enough. Later he had to leave because of obligations he had to fulfill, but he did not want to go. He gave me his card to make sure I would keep him informed for next year, and I told him that I would love to have him on our planning committee. Chris can be seen on the news video clip, which can be found on the Operation Care Dallas web site.

Chris is not the only one either. There was an older lady who was just a powerhouse in her work. I never was able to get her name, but I had a chair set for her and gave her a person to run supplies for her. But that did not keep her in her seat! She did not hesitate to go get shoes. The guys on the morning shift who were organizing the shoe room were just amazing! I failed to get their names and information also, but all of them told me they would return next year. They were very busy, never took a break, and kept the shoes organized and flowing to our guests. All of these folks were chosen and sent by God himself to fulfill the needs and the work that was necessary to bring some grace and joy to people who rarely see it in the streets of the Metroplex.

There is one special person who deserves more than just mention, that is Dr. Jay Moore. This is what was sent to us when we asked his name from the medical leader; “His name is Dr. Jay Moore, and he is an anesthesiologist!! He was a Godsend. He is coming again next year, and will bring supplies to cut toenails and cuticle scissors. And, I will also make sure we have a podiatrist. But, even if we don’t, this guy was amazing. I was talking to him in Medical, and showed him a booth, and he said he was sort of interested in foot washing, and I said, I really need you over there!! Which worked out great, because the orthopedic surgeon was really needed over with us for leg pain, etc. This was truly God’s event.” I’ll tell ya this guy was one busy dude! We had to make a stationary place for him and bring our guests to him because he could not get around to them sufficiently, there were too many! He trimmed toenails, gave advice, and helped those people in ways they would have never received in a free clinic.

I don’t have enough time and paper to write about every single blessing and person who did such awesome work with humility and grace, though I wish I could! But in all the ministering to the homeless and needy what I see in this ministry is so much more than just giving some time and supplies. This ministry might just be more for God’s people, Christian people, than for the Homeless. But this is the way God’s grace works, this is the evidence of that “Living Water” That our Lord Jesus spoke of to the woman at the well. When we are obedient to The Lord and do what is right according the Bible, especially in the face of fear and doubt, God shows us his glory and power and his incredible grace that none of us deserve. To do a thing in spite of doubt and fear is true faith; it is the proof that we believe God and how we have been changed in our heart because of Christ Jesus and His willingness to die on the cross for our sins. In doing such things we become more and more like Him and become more and more faithful like He is.

Through all of this, our High Priest Jesus Christ ministers to his servants, and his grace is delivered to the entire world. Isn’t this what he Gospel is all about? Isn’t this what our Lord and Savior Jesus did? And by the example of washing the disciples’ feet, he showed us this very principle, and then commanded us to love one another as he loves us. What awesome simple wisdom we learn when we are obedient! God took a few frightened and weak people and blessed thousands of believers and non-believers alike. Susie Jennings was right when she called us “Gideon’s army,” and I am glad that I had the privilege of being in that army! What a mighty God we serve!

Perhaps I will see some of those who read this next year. If you are stirred in your spirit then begin now praying about it and go find a ministry to get involved in simply for obedience to the Word of God which says,

Mar 12:31 “The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Rom 13:9 “For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Gal 5:14 “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jas 2:8 “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.”

Isa 58:6-11 

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.  And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

1Jn 4:7-11

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

Christians are a witness to the world and what is it that we testify of? God’s grace in a personal way in and through Christ Jesus our Lord. 

On Voting

I voted yesterday. I won’t say who I voted for but I will tell you who I did NOT vote for, Obama! My wife and I vote for basically two reasons:

1. Because according to the tradition of our country one who votes has a right to speak out. The un-written rule is “If you didn’t vote you have no right to complain.”
 
2. For conscience sake. Whoever gets into office, I will have a clear conscience that I chose according to God’s word concerning righteousness and morality. I choose for the sake my fellow American citizens.

I doubt that my vote makes any difference because I suspect the ruling parties already have it planned who will be in office on all levels. But at least I can speak out if need be. I also voted against whatever congressman supported this $700 billion heist. It really upsets me that 90% of the people in our country did not want this and made it known, but they passed it against our will. So much for representation eh?

So I am hoping the present government is voted out and fresh minds get voted in. Will it make a difference? Probably not, but I will have a clear conscience about it knowing that I chose according to faith in God, and I pray that we can avoid this socialist agenda.

But no matter what happens I hold to the faith that God is doing a great thing through the present situation, and that many are turning to Christ because of the reality of an economy that is nothing more than “a house of credit cards.”

They keep coming up with crazy ideas to “fix” the economy but when the majority of Christians quit living on credit and pay off all their debts, what will happen then? That is a whole lot of accounts to loose for the creditors. The economy will fail anyway; I realized that when I began to learn about having my own business. We just don’t want to be enslaved to the lenders when it does crash. No economy will ever be secure based on money that never existed in the first place. That is what credit is, non-existent wealth, a mirage, deceit.

So now what? Well as I find in everything else we simply have no choice but to trust God and depend on him completely for everything. We certainly can’t control global elitist decisions, but God can and will bring all things to work for His good pleasure and His glory. The righteous will be blessed both now and in eternity, and the wicked will suffer the consequences of their wickedness, both now and in eternity if they do not turn to God in Christ Jesus.

So go vote and honor God in your choices, make your choices on faith and live with a good conscience that you trusted God to carry out His will. This is faith and it is peace.

God Bless America, and may she turn back to Him, at least for a time!

God is in Control!

God is in Control!

Proverbs 16:3:  “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established” (ESV).

 

In the morning before sending our children off to school, we read a proverb and talk about it with them. I often ask them, “Is this true? How do you know?” It is fun to hear their simple answers and to watch the wheels in their heads begin to turn, and it gives me great practice in explaining the reliability and grace of God. In this article I hope to display the truth of this Word from the Lord.

 

Some time ago I joined an online ministry by the name of “The United Christian Faith Ministries” http://www.ucfm.org/ (UCFM), which is organized and led by Pastor Fred Nech. They offer some good studies, training, and online ordination to those who qualify and have been an asset to me through prayer, counseling, and online discussions through the UCFM community discussion boards. Being a part of that organization, I asked if I could post information and a request for help with the “Christmas Gift to the Homeless 2008.” My wife and I are the coordinators of the foot-washing ministry, and we need shoes to give to our homeless guests come event day on December 13, 2008. Pay attention to the proverb above.

 

Pastor Fred and the leaders of the UCFM gave me the green light to write the post, and have donated from the UCFM relief fund toward to purchase of shoes! We have also received an outpouring of prayer, even from across the ocean! Region Ten of the UCFM covers territories in the UK and Scotland. The regional elder, contacted me to tell me they planned to take up an offering at an upcoming gathering to send for the purchase of shoes. Whether they collect and send ten dollars or a thousand doesn’t matter; what matters is the willingness to serve the Lord. Who would have ever thought that people from across the ocean would be willing to lend a hand in our effort to help a few homeless in Dallas? Well, remember the proverb above and consider it well.

 

I received an email from a Pastor in Illinois who lives in a community of about eight thousand people. He told me that after reading about the 2007 Dallas event, his fellowship committed to hand-making three hundred knit hats to send to us by November 2008. They will be sending those hats on November third! This is an incredible work from the heart that will bless many, and they are already planning to make blankets or gloves for next year. We are all witnesses of the grace of God, and you never know how your testimony will inspire or affect someone. Remember the proverb above! Is it true? How do you know?

 

Also from the UCFM is Nick Picaccio who lives near New Orleans, is a retired police officer. He emailed me to tell me that he has given what he can to help with the purchase of shoes also. This man has become a good friend and counselor to me, and I have the deepest respect for him. He is a kind and humble man who loves the Lord with all his heart. The best part is that he prays for my family and me often and is now praying for the Operation Care Dallas ministry as well. Remember the Proverb written above!

 

When my wife and I committed to serve as coordinators, we were very afraid that we would fail. But what we, like so many people, tend to forget is that God is in control of all things and that His grace is sufficient, even for a man like me! This is not the whole story. I could go on and tell of the times God has poured out grace in our lives unrelated to the Christmas gift ministry. His grace has affected other areas that were committed to the Lord many years ago and God has used those events to increase our faith for the coming Christmas Gift 2008 event. This is how we know the Word of God is true.

 

There are people asking for information about how to start such an event in their own cities and countries. There are people from all over the world praying for Operation Care Dallas, Christmas Gift to the Homeless 2008. We are full of gratitude to our Lord Jesus because of his loving kindness. And I offer personal thanks to the “United Christian Faith Ministries” who share the same loving kindnesses. May God bless all of them!

 

Never doubt the reliability of the Word of God; He is faithful even when we are not. This is called grace upon grace, and it will reach farther than you could ever have imagined!

 

Kenneth Beck

Gardening and God

 By: Teresa Beck

Philippians 4:16-19  “For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.  Not because I desire a gift; but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.  But I have all, and abound:  I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.  But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory.” 

The last part of verse nineteen is often quoted by Christians when they speak comfort to those who are suffering from some hardship.  Truth be told, Christians should always be suffering from some hardship because hardship is the best evidence of God’s work in our lives.  Too often, we do not mention the verses before the end of verse nineteen to our fellow sufferers, as it might imply that a willingness to give even when we have little or nothing often precedes God’s supplying all we need.  The most important thing for Christians to realize is that God teaches lessons until they are truly learned, and He has a great variety of ways to teach the same lesson.  That should encourage us to be better, faster learners.  God has taught me much in my little garden.

I started a garden this year.  I had one a couple of years ago, but I didn’t do a very good job of planning or maintenance, and it mostly went to the weeds and grasshoppers.  Ken says I’m obsessed:  I say I’m diligent.  Well, I’m a little obsessed.  My primary motivation for starting the garden was to provide food for my family that is chemical-free because even that which is labeled “Organic” in the produce section at a premium price has some chemicals in it or on it. 

Further, we want to work ourselves toward being as independent of the grocery store as we can be, recognizing that all food is contaminated in some way and is of an inferior nutritional value than that which we can produce ourselves.  Finally, we believe Christ’s Second Coming is impending, which means that things in our society are going to get much worse, and we will suffer great hardships before joining Him in glory, so we need to be prepared to provide for ourselves when the world’s birth pangs worsen.  My primary motivation for continuing the garden, working in it whenever I need to and for however long, is that God is glorified.

A very important lesson God has taught me with my garden is that gardening is hard.  Honestly, if I could make stuff grow without working, that would be my preferred method of gardening.  God is the Master Gardener.  Often in the Bible, He’s referred to as a husbandman, defined by Webster’s as “one that plows and cultivates land: farmer.”  Wow.  I used to picture God in a white robe, walking in His vineyard, looking at His perfect vines bearing perfect fruit.  This picture is grossly inaccurate. 

Gardening is time-consuming manual labor.  It is painful and frustrating at times.  I must tend the garden constantly in order to catch diseases and infestations, to pull weeds and grass before they become invasive, to prune plants that have gotten unruly, and to harvest fruit so that the plant can produce more.  I know my plants, and I watch them daily.  When a fungus grows or a particularly heinous bug invades (the cabbage worm comes to mind here), I must intervene.  Sometimes, the solution is simple, but it usually isn’t.  My goal in paying close attention to my garden is to keep the plants producing fruit, so I have to take action when something is wrong in my garden.

Since God is omnipotent and omniscient, the human aspects of gardening do not apply to Him, but what does apply is His constant attention to His garden, Earth, and His plants, us, along with His earnest desire for us to produce fruit.  Jesus said that the “very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30).  I don’t think He was exaggerating.  I think God tends us constantly:  pruning here, treating for infection there, feeding, watering, pulling the weeds and defending us against the bugs in our lives. 

2Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 

Webster’s defines longsuffering as “patiently enduring lasting offense or hardship.”  We are constantly offending God by being unruly plants in His garden.  The good news is that He knows us and knows just what needs to be done so that we can continue to grow and produce fruit.  The context of this verse is so telling of His longsuffering. 

Just before 3:9, Peter has explained that many are “willingly ignorant” of God’s creation of the earth and of His judgment of all of the people of the earth in the flood of Noah, and they are therefore not in proper fear of His impending judgment when Christ returns.  He goes on to encourage diligence so that we are found “in peace, without spot, and blameless” (2Peter 3:14b). 

Yes, God is constantly at work in His garden, but He expects us to constantly work as well, tending the garden of our own lives, sending our roots deep into His fertile Word, and turning our leaves to the Son in prayer, thanksgiving, and worship, “work[ing] out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), and “working with [our] hands the thing which is good, that [we] may have to give to him that needeth” (Ephesians 4:28), which brings me to my next point.

God expects us to give.  Now, I do not believe that the tithe, or giving a tenth, is a mandate in the New Covenant.  When questioned about paying taxes, Jesus asked those inquiring whose image and superscription were on a coin before telling them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s…” (Mark 12:17)  After He said this, the Bible tells us the questioners “marveled at him.”  I think they marveled at him because of the apparent equivocation He made.  Whose image and superscription are, after all, on us?  Didn’t God make us in His own image?  Are we not called the “children of God?” 

This means that our whole lives and everything we have, not just one tenth, belong to God.  Doubtless, God expects us to support His ministries with our money, and there are plenty of examples of such support in the New Testament; however, our entire existence should be about giving to God and to others for His sake.  Everyone has heard the preacher quote Malachi 3:10:

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].” 

Imagine, then, if our New Covenant expectation is to give our whole selves to God, what incredible blessings He has in store for us when we give cheerfully and abundantly in His name and for His glory.

It’s so easy to be possessive of our earthly goods.  I have spent countless hours working in my garden, and I expect to use the produce to nourish my family and to enjoy.  Serving the food I’ve grown gives me a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction – even pride.  Pride is a thing I do not want to cultivate in my life.  It is a most noxious weed that keeps Christians from growing in grace and goodness as imitators of Christ.  It turns our leaves away from the Son and toward ourselves, and we starve for lack of Light. 

The best way, I think, to combat pride is to give to others, and my beautiful husband was led by the Spirit to suggest to me a plan.  Instead of enjoying the first of each thing that comes to maturity in my garden, we make a gift of it to a servant of God or to someone who will somehow benefit from it.  We are treating it as an offering of first fruits.  At first, even though I knew it was exactly the right thing to do, I thought, “What if we don’t get any more squash?  What if it’s not appreciated?”  That was Satan talking, trying to cultivate pride and selfishness.  I prayed. 

After bagging up the first batch of okra, squash, salad, carrots, and potatoes to take to a preacher friend and his wife, I wrote a note to stick in the bag and delivered it to their front porch.  After driving off, I thought, “Maybe I should go back and get it since they’re not home.  What if they’re out of town and it rots on their porch?”  Again, Satan talking.  Again, I prayed, “Lord, it’s in your hands.  I’m trusting you to take care of it.” 

I had to remind myself that if I was going to commit a thing to God, I had to let go of it.  He is in control – He was the one who prompted us to give the produce to this particular couple, and He was perfectly capable of seeing it through.  Several days later, they called to thank us for the gift, and as it turned out, they had been out of town.  Upon hearing them say that a relative was checking on the house daily, found the gift, and put it in the refrigerator, I was moved to tears by the grace and provision of God.  I am certain that I was truly the more blessed.

We have continued giving our first fruits to others, and we have been similarly blessed each time; but, God wasn’t kidding when He said He would “pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].”  Among countless other blessings, God has provided, free of charge, a six-hundred pound pig ready for slaughter along with a big sow ready for breeding just as my summer school paycheck is going in the bank so that we can pay for the butchering without affecting our regular budget. 

We did not give our food in order to get blessings but to honor and glorify God; nevertheless, He delights in delighting us.  If we can wrap our brains around the fact that storing up earthly goods for ourselves instead of giving at every opportunity robs God of our total dependence on Him, we can be useful to Him.  It is useless for Him to give to people who occupy themselves with trying to accumulate everything they need and much of what they want.  In that they glory in themselves.

When we received those pigs, which will supply both food and income for us, I felt like I was six years old again, looking into my daddy’s smiling face after he’d given me an unexpected delight.  I pray that I never forget how God changed a few pounds of produce into hundreds of pounds of food for our family.  He has multiplied my faith and given me joy unspeakable, encouraging me to give even more of myself to Him, knowing that He will “supply all [our] need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Throughout my gardening experience, God continues to teach me to use my time more wisely and to be more diligent in every aspect of my life, particularly as a mother and wife.  I realize that God has entrusted Ken and me with the cultivation of our children and that we should be constantly aware of their conditions so that we can help them to grow stronger in the Lord and produce more fruit.  As we commit them to God each day, we trust him to work our teaching of His Word into the soil of their lives so that He doesn’t have to do as much radical pruning in their lives as He’s had to do in ours.

Gardening gives me an opportunity to be alone with God, where I can pray for my husband and children and others I know who need God’s help and grace.  Gardening has helped me control my tongue, as it’s provided me with many opportunities to “proclaim” my frustrations along with many opportunities to pray for God’s help in dealing with those frustrations with grace.  I am so grateful that God has given me this garden to tend.  I’m even more grateful that He’s always actively tending me, providing all my needs, both physical and spiritual.