The horticulture of the heart!

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(Alexander Smellie, "The Secret Place" 1907)

"You are My private garden, My treasure, My bride!" Song of Songs 4:12

"My Beloved has gone down to His garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens and to gather lilies." Song of Songs 6:2

I pray that in my heart and life, God Almighty may find a garden of His own planting, where He can talk with me in the cool of the day.

Let my "winter of adversity" grow submissiveness and patience and prayer.

Let my my "spring of promise" abound in hope.

Let my my "summer of attainment" show the blossoms of thanksgiving and humility.

Let my my "autumn of fruit" be dedicated to God's glory and praise.

I would acquire skill in the horticulture of the heart . . .
by meditating much in His Book,
by sincere communing with Himself,
by keeping company with my Master's friends,
and by kissing His chastening rod.

I must reverence God's hedges:
the restraints of His providence,
the warnings of His Word,
the bounds imposed by an enlightened conscience,
the forbiddings of the Holy Spirit.
I must have no wish for the profane wasteland outside.

If the garden of the soul is to maintain beauty and fragrance--must not the waters of my spiritual life be constantly renewed? Must I not return daily to the Well from which the living streams flow ever forth?

There should be no weeds in the garden of a regenerated life. May the Lord the Spirit fill me to overflowing, that my holiness may be spontaneous, enthusiastic, exuberant--not fettered and checked by the weeds of sin.

So I shall walk in peace and pleasantness; and in the garden God will talk with me.

"Oh, I pray that the cold north wind and the soft south wind may blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out in abundance for You in whom my soul delights. Let my Beloved come into His garden and eat its choicest fruits!" Song of Songs 4:16

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Spurgeon & Chambers Devotions September 22nd

Morning, September 22

“Let Israel rejoice in him.”

Psalm 149:2

Charles Spurgeon
Be glad of heart, O believer, but take care that thy gladness has its spring in the Lord. Thou hast much cause for gladness in thy God, for thou canst sing with David, “God, my exceeding joy.” Be glad that the Lord reigneth, that Jehovah is King! Rejoice that he sits upon the throne, and ruleth all things! Every attribute of God should become a fresh ray in the sunlight of our gladness. That he is wise should make us glad, knowing as we do our own foolishness. That he is mighty, should cause us to rejoice who tremble at our weakness. That he is everlasting, should always be a theme of joy when we know that we wither as the grass. That he is unchanging, should perpetually yield us a song, since we change every hour. That he is full of grace, that he is overflowing with it, and that this grace in covenant he has given to us; that it is ours to cleanse us, ours to keep us, ours to sanctify us, ours to perfect us, ours to bring us to glory—all this should tend to make us glad in him. This gladness in God is as a deep river; we have only as yet touched its brink, we know a little of its clear sweet, heavenly streams, but onward the depth is greater, and the current more impetuous in its joy. The Christian feels that he may delight himself not only in what God is, but also in all that God has done in the past. The Psalms show us that God’s people in olden times were wont to think much of God’s actions, and to have a song concerning each of them. So let God’s people now rehearse the deeds of the Lord! Let them tell of his mighty acts, and “sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously.” Nor let them ever cease to sing, for as new mercies flow to them day by day, so should their gladness in the Lord’s loving acts in providence and in grace show itself in continued thanksgiving. Be glad ye children of Zion and rejoice in the Lord your God.

My Utmost for His Highest

September 22nd

The missionary’s Master

Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. John 13:13

Oswald Chambers
To have a master and to be mastered is not the same thing. To have a master means that there is one who knows me better than I know myself, one who is closer than a friend, one who fathoms the remotest abyss of my heart and satisfies it, one who has brought me into the secure sense that he has met and solved every perplexity and problem of my mind. To have a master is this and nothing less—“One is your Master, even Christ.”
Our Lord never enforces obedience; He does not take means to make me do what He wants. At certain times I wish God would master me and make me do the thing, but He will not; in other moods I wish He would leave me alone, but He does not.
“Ye call me Master and Lord”—but is He? Master and Lord have little place in our vocabulary, we prefer the words Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer. The only word to describe mastership in experience is love, and we know very little about love as God reveals it. This is proved by the way we use the word obey. In the Bible obedience is based on the relationship of equals, that of a son with his father. Our Lord was not God’s servant, He was His son. “Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience …” If our idea is that we are being mastered, it is a proof that we have no master; if that is our attitude to Jesus, we are far away from the relationship He wants. He wants us in the relationship in which He is easily Master without our conscious knowledge of it, all we know is that we are His to obey.

Evening, September 22

“When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.”

Psalm 61:2

Charles Spurgeon
Most of us know what it is to be overwhelmed in heart; emptied as when a man wipeth a dish and turneth it upside down; submerged and thrown on our beam ends like a vessel mastered by the storm. Discoveries of inward corruption will do this, if the Lord permits the great deep of our depravity to become troubled and cast up mire and dirt. Disappointments and heart-breaks will do this when billow after billow rolls over us, and we are like a broken shell hurled to and fro by the surf. Blessed be God, at such seasons we are not without an all-sufficient solace, our God is the harbour of weather-beaten sails, the hospice of forlorn pilgrims. Higher than we are is he, his mercy higher than our sins, his love higher than our thoughts. It is pitiful to see men putting their trust in something lower than themselves; but our confidence is fixed upon an exceeding high and glorious Lord. A Rock he is since he changes not, and a high Rock, because the tempests which overwhelm us roll far beneath at his feet; he is not disturbed by them, but rules them at his will. If we get under the shelter of this lofty Rock we may defy the hurricane; all is calm under the lee of that towering cliff. Alas! such is the confusion in which the troubled mind is often cast, that we need piloting to this divine shelter. Hence the prayer of the text. O Lord, our God, by thy Holy Spirit, teach us the way of faith, lead us into thy rest. The wind blows us out to sea, the helm answers not to our puny hand; thou, thou alone canst steer us over the bar between yon sunken rocks, safe into the fair haven. How dependent we are upon thee—we need thee to bring us to thee. To be wisely directed and steered into safety and peace is thy gift, and thine alone. This night be pleased to deal well with thy servants. 

More on God Dwelling with the Humble and Contrite

September 22

Bob Hoekstra

The LORD is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, who dwells on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth? He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap.  (Psa_113:4-7)
In our previous meditation, we considered the Lord's loftiness, coupled with His interest in man's lowliness. "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit" (Isa_57:15). In our present verses, we again see the Lord's desires to dwell with the humble and contrite.
Our great God dwells in the heaven of heavens, ruling over all the nations of the world. "The LORD is high above all nations." His glory is even more majestic than the galaxies, which He hung throughout the stellar heavens: "His glory above the heavens." There is no one in all the universe who could be likened unto Him. "Who is like the LORD our God?" Nevertheless, though He rightly inhabits the highest realms of existence, He is willing to consider our lowly estate and become involved in the affairs of humanity: "who dwells on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth."
From His high and lofty position, the Lord observes the family of man. He is not looking for the boastful and the arrogant. He is looking for the humble and the contrite. "Though the LORD is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar" (Psa_138:6). Although our God is the creator of all the universe, He is looking for the spiritually bankrupt and those whose hearts are crushed. " 'For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,' says the LORD. 'But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word' " (Isa_66:2). This last phrase gives a key characteristic of those who are truly humble and contrite. They respond with reverence when hearing God's word.
What does the Lord desire to do for the humble and contrite? He wants to bring spiritual restoration: "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me" (Psa_138:7). Our great God is a God of compassion. He wants to restore the crushed heart. "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit . . . He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds" (Psa_34:18 and Psa_147:3). Our mighty, compassionate Lord "raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap."
Creator of heaven and earth, I am amazed that You are interested in me. I want to be numbered among the humble and contrite. I have nothing by which to commend myself to You. I only bring a heart that is broken by a multitude of agonies and impossibilities. Please revive me by Your grace, through Jesus Christ, my Lord, Amen.

Sovereign Grace Missionary Baptist Church "Where The Truths Of God’s Word Have Been Taught For More Than Fifty-Two Years” 1217 Dillon Texarkana, Texas 75501 September 21, 2014 Newsletter Number 483 Brother Randy Johnson, Pastor Brother Ronnie Henderson, Song Director Pastor E-Mail: pastor@sgmbaptist.com Web Site: www.sgmbaptist.com

Our Prayer Request: All of Our Military, Their Family’s & All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East, Zee Mink Fuller and Family, Her son’s Bryan Armstrong and Hunter Hackie, Daughter Shannon, and Brother Philip & Sondra Thornsberry, Helen Maggard, Johnnie Stephens, Alecia Stephens, and children, Frankie Baldridge and daughter, Buckie Thompson, Frank & Sonya Trusty, Frank & Dawana Reigel, Andrew Preston, Larry & Martha Mollette and Her Family, Larry Mollette II & Family, Kerry Pennington, Kim Poole, Danny & Nita Mollette, The Muncy Family, Wendell Henderson, Judy Dunn, Martha Gray, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Ronnie and Sarah Henderson, Ronnie Henderson Jr. & Children, Ricky Henderson and Family, Jacie Henderson, Velma Hammond, Charles, Don Hammond and Families, Archie & Barbara Griffin, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, James and Luann Reynolds, Timothy Fails, Nathan -& Claire Fails, Jacob Ramsey, Jerry Hughes, Teresa Bookout, Pastor G. L. Burr, Melody Carr, Janie Capps, Imajo Tracy, Linda Hughes, Roy Lemmon, Rosie Tomlin, James and Lynn Tomlin, Pat Abercrombie, Donna Jones, Dale Trahan, Ricky and Margaret McCoy, Brother David O’Neal, James & Diane Thomas, Gina Peel, Brother Kelley and Sister Hinson, Megan Whitaker, Manual Seymour, Sr., Brother Jerry and Sister Jean Dodson, Brother Curtis Pugh, Brother Dan Sullivan and the work in Thailand, Brother Raul and the work in Romania, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and the Churches in Russia.

A Thought From A. W. Pink: There are seasons in the lives of all when it is not easy, no not even for Christians, to believe that God is faithful. Our faith is sorely tried, our eyes bedimmed with tears, and we can no longer trace the outworkings of His love. Our ears are distracted with the noises of the world, harassed by the atheistic whisperings of Satan, and we can no longer hear the sweet accents of His still small voice. Cherished plans have been thwarted, friends on whom we relied have failed us, a profest brother or sister in Christ has betrayed us. We are staggered. We sought to be faithful to God, and now a dark cloud hides Him from us. We find it difficult, yea, impossible, for carnal reason to harmonize His frowning providence with His gracious promises. Ah, faltering soul, severely-tried fellow-pilgrim, seek grace to heed Isaiah 50:10, “Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. God is faithful in disciplining His people. He is faithful in what He withholds, no less than in what He gives. He is faithful in sending sorrow as well as in giving joy. The faithfulness of God is a truth to be confessed by us not only when we are at ease, but also when we are smarting under the sharpest rebuke. Nor must this confession be merely of our mouths, but of our hearts, too. When God smites us with the rod of chastisement, it is faithfulness which wields it. To acknowledge this means that we humble ourselves before Him, own that we fully deserve His correction, and instead of murmuring, thank Him for it. God never afflicts without reason. “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you” (1 Cor. 11:30), says Paul, illustrating this principle. When His rod falls upon us let us say with Daniel, “O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion of faces’ (9:7) By A.W. Pink, from The Attributes of God, on God’s faithfulness

A Thought To Share With Others: Always GrowingThou shalt see greater than these. (John 1:50) This is spoken to a childlike believer, who was ready to accept Jesus as the Son of God, the King of Israel, upon one convincing piece of argument. Those who are willing to see shall see; it is because we shut our eyes that we become so sadly blind. We have seen much already. Great things and unsearchable has the Lord showed unto us, for which we praise His name; but there are greater truths in His Word, greater depths of experience, greater heights of fellow-ship, greater works of usefulness, greater discoveries of power, and love, and wisdom. These we are yet to see if we are willing to believe our Lord. The faculty of inventing false doctrine is ruinous, but power to see the truth is a blessing. Heaven shall be opened to us, the way thither shall be made clear to us in the Son of Man, and the angelic commerce which goes on between the upper and the lower kingdoms shall be made more manifest to us. Let us keep our eyes open toward spiritual objects and expect to see more and more. Let us believe that our lives will not drivel down into nothing but that we shall be always on the growing hand, seeing greater and still greater things, till we behold the great God Himself and never again lose the sight of Him. By C.H. Spurgeon

A Thought From Our Pastor: The Aftermath Of Our Conference. We have brought to a close our Bible Conference for another year and God has been uplifted and praised once again. We always thank God for His blessings to us. We also thank our speakers for their grace and kindness in coming and speaking. We continue the thanks to all the church for your diligent labor of love in preparation of the conference, you all did well and praise and glorified the Lord Jesus Christ in your hard work and labor of love. Please be assured that God will reward your effort in the support of our guest speakers and the Lords house. Now we move on, continuing the work of getting the gospel to our community and the world using any possible means. Our church was truly blessed in this event and we should remember the sermons God sent us and use them in our daily life. We ought to continue to study hard and work even harder to proclaim the salvation in Jesus Christ to the world. As Pastor I just say, Thank you to all, and thank you Lord for another wonderful Conference.

He was crushed for our iniquities! Isaiah 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Let us live as if every allowed sin, was . . . one more thorn in Christ's head, one more nail in His feet, one more spear in His side! By J.C. Ryle

John 17:25 – 26 "O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me... And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them."

God Dwelling with the Humble and Contrite

Bob Hoekstra

For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."  (Isa_57:15)
God delights in pouring out His grace into humble hearts. "God . . . gives grace to the humble" (Jam_4:6). What a remarkable arrangement this involves. The God who dwells on high in heaven above wants to also dwell with the humble here on earth below.
Our great God, the true and living God, is high and lofty. "For thus says the High and Lofty One." He is exalted. "For You, LORD, are most high above all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods" (Psa_97:9). He rules far above, and completely over, every valid authority and every false god. Also, eternity is His rightful habitation: "who inhabits eternity." Furthermore, holiness is His essential character: "whose name is Holy." Among all professed powers or spiritual usurpers, none is like our holy Lord. "Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" (Exo_15:11).
In light of His holy and eternal character, it follows that He would make this proclamation: "I dwell in the high and holy place." Beyond the atmospheric heavens, beyond the stellar heavens, the Lord dwells in the heaven of heavens. In this spiritual dimension beyond time and space, the fullness of the Lord's presence is known. Yet, He is even greater than this "third heaven" itself. "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool . . . Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You" (Isa_66:1 and 1Ki_8:27).
The Lord is high, lofty, holy, and eternal. These truths impact us with awe and reverence. Yet, there is a corollary truth that brings us encouragement and hope (even though it seems almost contradictory). "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit." God essentially dwells on high, but He also desires to dwell with man here below. Who is the person that experiences the Lord dwelling with them? Such communion with God is for the contrite and humble. The Lord wants to make Himself known in repentant and meek hearts in order to bring them spiritual revitalization: "to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."
O Lord God, I worship You as high, lofty, holy, and eternal. I exalt You as above all and ruling over all. Yet, I praise You for desiring to dwell with me here on earth below. I humble myself before You, confessing my need for spiritual revitalization, in Jesus name, Amen.