Your Garden.

Psalms chapter 92 verses 12-14.
But the Godly shall flourish like palm trees, and grow tall as the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted into the Lord's own garden, and are under His personal care. Even in old age they will still produce fruit and be vital and green."

Are you much of a gardener? It is pretty plain to see that when plants are taken care of they look healthy and strong. I'm not very good at maintaining gardens. I do like the looks of them but they do require constant care. Just as everything else we do in our lives.
   I guess it is a matter of priorities. What do you feel is important and must be taken care of. Our lives can easily become bogged down with too much stuff that needs constant care. That can leave us feeling overwhelmed and then the stuff we have starts to wither, rust or breakdown, adding to the pile high mess we have around us.
   Life has to be maintained. It cannot be ignored, it cannot be attended to later, it has to be polished, washed and weeded. It sounds like a lot of work, but really it is a matter of what you enjoy. If your heart is in seeing the results of well maintained, shinny new and groomed stuff then you will reap the benefits of having things work well and with little or no fuss.
   You see, if you are persistent and constantly looking at what is around you, then you will find that it is easy to have peace of mind. You are thankful for your well tuned lifestyle and others comment on your hard work. You are seen as reliable and and enjoyable to be around. You are organized and know the value of having a simple life where you do not bog yourself down with too much stuff.
   Life without God is a struggle to keep your priorities in order. You work hard to maintain but there is always something to cause unrest. It could be a relationship, the yard work has fallen behind, the list of projects to complete is growing, your health is failing, your friends are getting sick, you feel like you want to get everything done but find it hard to get the needed rest to keep you feeling refreshed.
   When you do come into life with God, you find that it is Jesus who is maintaining you. He has cleaned you up and given you good soil to grow in, He waters you and clips off the parts that are useless and withering. The outcome is you stand tall and makes yourself look the best that you can be. You are thankful to Jesus for His wonderful love and others who see you also love what they are seeing.
   It is that joy that you have for God and His garden, that He has blessed you to live in, that makes each and every task worth doing and seeing the results of. It is your joy that others get to experience and leads them in the direction of knowing Jesus. Get up and take a step forward. Jesus will help you walk straight with confidence. You will clearly state that it is Jesus who maintains you, for you live in God's house.
Thank you Father for Jesus and blessings of Your love. There is no other place to live, but in your garden where You watch over us, where You maintain us and where we flourish because of your loving care. 

Matthew chapter 26 verse 53 and 54.
Jesus told them; "Don't you realize that I could ask My Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what is happening now?"

Matthew chapter 26 verses 63 and 64.
"But Jesus remained silent. Then the High Priest said to Him, "I demand in the name of the living God that you tell us whether You claim to be the Messiah, the Son of God."
"Yes," Jesus said, "I am. And in the future you will see me, the Messiah, sitting at the right hand of God and returning on the clouds of heaven."

Luke chapter 13 verses 23-25.
Someone asked Jesus, "Will only a few be saved?" Jesus replied, "The door to heaven is narrow. Work hard to get in, for the truth is many will try to enter but when the head of the house has locked the door, it will be too late." Then if you stand outside knocking and pleading, "Lord, open the door for us," He will reply, "I don't know you."

Hebrews chapter 12 verses 14-18.
"Try to stay out of quarrels and seek to live a clean holy life, for one who is not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that not one of you will fail to find God's best blessings. Watch out that no bitterness takes root among you, for as it springs up it causes deep trouble, hurting many spiritual lives. Watch out that no one becomes involved in sexual sin or becomes careless about God as Esau did: he traded his rights as the oldest son for a single meal. And afterwards, when he wanted those rights back again, it was too late, even though he wept bitter tears of repentance. So remember and be careful."