Falling Asleep in the Garden - Being Passionate

“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it

when it’s in your power to help them”

- Proverbs 3:27

I don’t know what the weather has been like where you live, but here in Colorado it’s been gorgeous lately. I’ve opened windows and breathed in the fresh air. Flowers are popping their heads out from the ground, especially the daffodils. I’ve even seen a blue jay perched on a fence post. Sure signs of Spring!

Have you ever wondered what it was like in the Garden of Gethsemane over 2000 years ago?

Unfortunately, this is the last post from within the Garden. We will be leaving shortly and continuing on our Journey to the Cross.

This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday, which marks the day Jesus entered Jerusalem. It is the beginning of the week of His passion – and we will walk that path right here, next Wednesday. But first, let’s explore the word “passion.”   Here are just two of the definitions as stated in the Merriam- Webster Dictionary:

1.  the sufferings of Christ between the night of the Last Supper and his death
2.  ardent affection, a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object or concept

God has given us a passionate spirit and fills our heart with the longing to make a difference.

Ask yourself, “How do I respond to God’s calling?” Am I passionate or passive?

Many times we relate to the pain of others, experience their suffering, see the needs of the lonely or lost - but we wait thinking someone else will step up, we rationalize, procrastinate, avoid the promptings of His gentle “nudges.” But, if we are passionate, we must actively choose to follow Christ.

In Luke 9:23 Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

Christ came as a servant and His dying was an act of obedience.  Will you be obedient?

PREPARING OUR HEARTS: This week as we prepare for Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, let’s give thanks to the Lord for His passion and obedience, even to death on the cross. Ask God to show you what breaks His heart, and how you can use your “passion” to make a difference.

May Palm Sunday be a day of shouting sweet Hosanna’s ... “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD” - Psalm 118:26.

God’s Peace, Donna Weaver

Falling Asleep in the Garden – FORGIVENESS

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness

of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace”

- Ephesians 1:7

By now, we’ve come to realize that the Lenten season is a Journey to the Cross. We began our walk through the garden of Gethsemane by reflecting on the things that separate us from Christ. Last we went back to the garden and talked about confessing our sins with a sincere heart.

This week we will be exploring the topic of forgiveness. Even while we were sinners, God sent his Son to die in our place. Jesus took the journey to the cross, experienced pain and suffering ... and ultimately died for our sins. He carried our burdens and took our place on the cross.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” - John 3:16

Are you beginning to sense the depth of God’s love for you?

As we continue on the path from ashes to glory we need to realize that this GIFT of forgiveness occurred once for all time. It is God’s free and loving gift to us. A gift we cannot earn and one we definitely do not deserve.

PREPARING OUR HEARTS: Let’s stop along the path this week to smell the roses. A few years ago I came across the story below and love to pull it out at Easter time. It’s a great reminder that we need to pass along the same love and forgiveness that God has shown to us, to others who join us on our life journey.

The Fragrance of My Savior

by Sharon Lee Roberts

I was running bath water the other night when I looked into my basket of bath salts and little soaps. There was a small package with a beautiful floral print on the front. It was called “Essence of Rose.”

I thought about the name. I smelled the fragrance. It smelled just like a rose. Though it wasn’t a rose, it carried the rose’s fragrance.

I remembered that special title for Jesus found in the bible “the rose of Sharon” (Song of Solomon 2:1). I remembered that I, as a Christian, am to carry the fragrance of Christ, whom I follow.

Also, I am to reflect his image. Do I reflect Jesus Christ? Will people see him shine through me? I hope that others can see Jesus in me. I know that I can be more like him only as I submit to God’s will for me, to his working in me. For it is God who does the work. The process may be painful, but I need to endure it so that the desired results in my character are produced.

I pray that I have the fragrance of gentleness, and the scent of forgiveness and forbearance. I pray that meekness shines through me.

As I inhale that beautiful fragrance of “essence of rose” and close my eyes to envision a rose, I pray that the world will sense in my life the fragrance of my Savior.

This week I pray that we will truly understand the power of forgiveness,
and the joy of everlasting life that goes along with it.

Counting down to Calvary ...

God’s Peace, Donna Weaver

A Walk in the Garden – CONFESSING OUR SINS

"Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in

me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me"

- Psalm 51:9-10

Our Journey to the Cross continues.

Where do you go to seek God’s presence?

I don’t know about you, but I love to walk in a beautifully manicured garden. The sweet smells, the beautiful colors, the wonder of nature makes me feel close to Him. I admit that I do not have a green thumb, but I definitely appreciate the peacefulness amidst nature’s beauty. This past week there was another “garden” in my thoughts ... the Garden of Gethsemane. Located east of the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem, on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, I can only imagine that it was a beautiful place too - a peace-filled place, where Jesus went quite often to seek God’s presence.

I hope you’ve been able to find some quiet time this past week ... a time for reflection ... a time to examine our hearts, and pray about the things that hinder our relationship with God. Now we have to step out of our comfort zone and cry out to God, just as David did in the words of Psalm 51.

Easier said than done!

Most of us are more comfortable with the idea of giving up something for Lent, or just focusing on the upcoming celebration of Easter morning. But the hard fact is that we need to walk through the darkness that comes before the light ... the confession that comes before the joy.

As Easter approaches we need to be honest with God. We need to lay our sins and burdens at the foot of the cross. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse us from every wrong.”

Remember ... there is nothing that will surprise God – no sin too bad, no secret too dark. God is a God of light and darkness cannot survive in his presence. Nothing can keep us from His mercy and grace when we confess our sins with a sincere heart.

For our God sent His own Son in to the darkness, to die on the cross ... for US. He took our place. He was our substitute, so that we may live in the light.

PREPARING OUR HEARTS: Meditate on the words of Romans 5:6-11, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

This week take time to pray about what it really means to take someone else’s punishment in their place. What are the results of Christ dying for us while we were still sinners?

Counting down to Calvary ...
God’s Peace, Donna Weaver