Text Size: Zoom In

A Garden Called Desire

Mart De Haan Posted by Mart DeHaan
October 29th, 2010
14 Comments » 

Most things seem to begin and end with a desire for something that will either enslave, liberate, degrade, or ennoble.

Maybe that’s why our Teacher leads us into a garden called desire and shows us how to cultivate a longing for:

The honor of our Father’s name

The will of the Father to be done in our world as in His

The provisions and care of the Father as our daily trust

The forgiveness of the Father as our daily mercy… and offering

And the leading of the Father to bypass another garden that grows in the dark rather than in the light.

The wonder and beauty of this Garden is that we come here to visit, to work, to cultivate, to water, to weed, and to wait… for the Owner of this Garden to show up in the most amazing ways… to personify his desires for us…


« Previous: Finding a Reference Point Next: Why Not Forgiveness First? »
Vote on whether you think this post is something you'll be thinking about:
Vote This Post DownVote This Post Up (+35 rating, 35 votes)
Loading...
14 Comments »

Filed in prayer

14 Responses to “A Garden Called Desire”

  1. SFDBWV says:
    October 29, 2010 at 5:28 am

    You are certainly correct Mart, in that whatever desire we hold in our hearts are what we cultivate…

    And we will reap that which we sow.

    Steve

  2. BruceC says:
    October 29, 2010 at 6:17 am

    Well, I made it. Had to detour through Word Press’s “garden” before getting on.

    Kind of a good analogy Mart. We are everyday (and every second) confronted by the choice of which garden to eat from. The garden of the fallen flesh; cultivated and cared for by satan or the garden of the spirit; cultivated by Christ.
    The garden of the flesh bears fruit that brings saddness, sorrow, and death into our lives; while the garden of the spirit brings joy, peace, love, and eternal life. While I believe in eternal security that doesn’t mean that the choice for beleivers is always easy. Satan wants beleivers to eat from his garden to make them ineffectual for Christ; while our Lord wants to see His fruit in our lives so that we shine as the Son.

    BruceC

  3. refump says:
    October 29, 2010 at 7:11 am

    I just read a statement made by Famous Dave Anderson of the Famous Dave BBQ restaurants. “Religion is for those that want to escape hell, spirituality is for those that have been there.” He was referring to the dynamics of hitting rock bottom in your life. When that happens and you have no-where to go except to God, you find a lot more than religion. You encounter true spirituality–a dynamic living life-changing encounter with God that goes on and on.
    That “garden called desire” is generally that place where you have no-where to go except to God. Jesus challenged his follower to count the cost of following Him. Too often I want to romanticize the garden experience but the reality of it is that “selling out” to Jesus as Lord & Savior will involve that rock bottom experience to “cultivate a longing for………”

  4. refump says:
    October 29, 2010 at 7:26 am

    I also just read the following from a site called Ransomed Hearts that fits with this topic:

    “But this side of Eden, even relationship with God brings us to a place where a deeper work in our heart is called for if we are to be able to continue our spiritual journey. It is in this desert experience of the heart, where we are stripped of the protective clothing of the roles we have played in our smaller stories, that the Message of the Arrows reasserts itself. Healing, repentance, and faith are called for in ways we have not known previously. At this place on our journey, we face a wide and deep chasm that refuses us passage through self-effort. And it is God’s intention to use this place to eradicate the final heart walls and obstacles that separate us from him.”

  5. foreverblessed says:
    October 29, 2010 at 8:54 am

    Thanks for all the comments about the garden,
    Refump, can you translate the last part of your last comment…
    from the Arrow onwards..
    I think it says: no self effort, but total relience on our Maker, total trust in Jesus

  6. foreverblessed says:
    October 29, 2010 at 9:45 am

    Mart, your description of the Garden resounds the Lord’s prayer from Matthew 6.

  7. foreverblessed says:
    October 29, 2010 at 9:46 am

    If you do not logout, you do not have to login either…
    is there any disadvantage of staying login-ed?

  8. Hisgirl4life says:
    October 29, 2010 at 11:20 am

    Thank you, Mart, for your beautiful words. They are such an encouragement to me. Yes, as foreverblessed mentioned, they also remind me of the Lord’s prayer, how the Teacher taught us to pray.

  9. poohpity says:
    October 29, 2010 at 11:22 am

    I have watched and studied as gardeners do their gardens. It is so amazing to watch as they go through their own gardens with gentle hands pulling the weeds and rearranging the soil with a smile on their face knowing that the care they take will eventually produce beautiful flowers, plants, fruit or vegetables. They carefully prune to shape the plants or to open up areas so more fruit will have room to grow. It always seems to pleasure them to do these tasks. It is done with such great enjoyment and relaxing. This is just for individuals who have personal gardens of their own.

    When it becomes a hard task is when things are planted in large numbers with profit in mind. Then one has to hire workers and those workers do not care for it as if it was their own but just a job to produce an income with no real love or personal satisfaction in watching it grow. They get in to earn their pay and then go home.

    I think each one of us is a personal garden to the Lord that He finds great joy in. We know that we are cared for with the utmost care and concern so that we will produce much fruit. We know that the Gardener finds satisfaction in His garden and we then can understand the care and concern given to us so that we may show that to others. Some really want to emulate that Gardener but some just want to get in there to get their wages. The garden that fully delights in the Gardener wants to develop the same desires as that of the Gardener.

    Please put that desire in us Father so that we may be approved by you the Gardener to display care, concern, forgiveness and love just like what you have shown to us. Give us the desire to seek you and to know you with all our hearts.

  10. plumbape says:
    October 29, 2010 at 12:10 pm

    refump > it’s good to hear from you again, I’m appreciating what you wrote, right on. As if I understand, but it spoke to me in a way I think I get it.

    I desire to never ever offend anyone and if I do I am sorry for letting myself get in the way of being real with Jesus. I have learned so much from a desire to know God at this site, thank you all so much, and I do mean all…!

    Some times I put on my stone proof vest and wade into that dangerous place we call church and say “go ahead satan make my day” lol

    Michael

  11. poohpity says:
    October 29, 2010 at 2:29 pm

    I learned yesterday that Ego (looking at the condition of someone else’s heart) prevents us from self examination which is the condition of our own heart. That lesson I thought I learned yesterday then I was confronted with today by someone from the financial ministry calling me about the boxes I put together Tuesday for our new food pantry. She told me that there were enough items in there to make nine incomplete boxes. I told her I went to the store to buy the stuff for 5 complete boxes which she challenged me on. I told her I would rather error on the side of generosity but oh how easy it was to judge her heart. I had to ask the Lord for forgiveness. So this lesson will have to repeat itself until I have learned.

  12. foreverblessed says:
    October 29, 2010 at 5:20 pm

    Ego, yes, I still have lots of it. Plumbape, consider it as this: conversing with other christians is a good way of practicing killing the old man.
    As soon as I feel I am offended, there is the change to see how much ego is still in the way.
    Better the new man!

    This morning I accidentily read about us being a garden:
    Twolisteners december 18:
    –Think your thought-way into the very heart of My Kingdom. See there the abundance of delights in my storehouse, and lay eager hands on them.

    See wonders, ask wonders, bear wonders away with you. Remember this beautiful earth on which you are was once only a thought of Divine Mind. Think how from your thought one corner of it could grow and become the Garden of the Lord, the Bethany-Home for your Master, a place to which I have a right to bring My friends, My needy ones, for talk and rest with Me.–

    Think of it, we as a Garden, that is God’s and He can choose to send people to us, for talk and rest with Him.
    He is the director of my whole life, if I give myself totally to Him, if I do not take over, and do it myself.

  13. Mart De Haan says:
    October 30, 2010 at 4:40 am

    Am sorry for the continuing problems of getting into this page especially if you are logged in. Some of you seem to have already discovered this. But, if you are having trouble coming directly to the site, as I am (while logged in)try going through the rbc.org site. Our people are still trying to clear up this bug.

  14. Regina says:
    October 31, 2010 at 9:28 pm

    Good Evening All
    I know we’ve moved on to another topic, but I just want to say that, after reading Mart’s intro comment to this blog topic, I’m so thankful to be lead by Jesus into the garden called desire. I know that I’ll only find spiritual and godly desires (the fruit of the Spirit) in that garden, and I know that, once I get there, I won’t desire to be anywhere else! :-)

    Blessings,

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.