IN THE GARDEN OF DESPAIR: Living With Hope!

In The Realm Of Affliction

In The Garden Of Despair

I ... A Christian Faithful

To My Savior Will Repair!

In My Heart 
I Have Faith, Hope, Patience
Love, Resolve, And Sweet Joy

For I Am Determined To Live For Him

Whose Love For Me Has No Alloy!

I Am Not Alone ... Nor Lonely! 

He Who Calls Me Cares!

I Am Not Rejected: I Am Being Restored

And 
The Great Physician Is The Gardener

Who Tends Me 
And 
Over Me Sheds Great Tears!

I Am Encouraged!

I Have Hope That What Is

Is 
Not What Shall Be!

I Am Resolved To Remain Faithful

For In The Savior's Care I Am Blessed

Sheltered, Protected: What I Feel, He Feels!

Pruning Shears Are Not Comfortable!

Grafting Cuts Do Hurt!

Cleansing 
Is 
Often Embarrassing ... Awkward

Exposing The Hidden

Digging At The Roots Of My Sin

Sloughing Off The Drying, Dying, Dead Leaves Of 
Past Affections And Untoward Associations

Picking Off The Worms Of Willfulness

Waywardness, Wildness, Gainsaying
And 
Greed, Doubt, And Deceit

To Nurture Me To Enduring Faith

Willing Obedience

Heartfelt Prayer 
And
Humble Trust

To Reach For The Sun Of Righteousness

To Drink In The Rain ... The Water Of Wisdom

From The Sweet Spirit Of Truth

So That I Will Bear Fruit ... Sweet Fruit

And 
Not Be Fruitless ... Unproductive

Unprofitable

Useless!

I Have Free Will: I Choose To Submit To Him!

I Have Free Choice: I Choose To Let Him Fix Me

Heal Me, Save Me, Succor Me 
Seal Me And Secure Me Against The Storm Of Sin

The Quick-Sand Of Self

And
The Raging Sea That Is Satan! 

I Am ... I Have ... Resigned Myself From Being Own-Way:

Own-Sin Self-Pay 
Is 
Not The Profitable Way! 

I Have Accepted That I Am Profited 
By Being In His Holy, Sacrificial, Grace-Filled Care

For I Know By Experience That 
The Day Of Transplantation

Is 
Soon Here

And

My Soul's Desire Is To Go Where

He Has Said There Is A Place Personally Prepared For Me

Where All Is Love, Joy, Rest And Peace! 

I Shall Lie Down By The River Side:

No More Tears

No More Sorrow

No More Death

I Shall Forever Live

Immortal

Incorruptible

Glorified

At His Glorious Side

I Shall Abide! 

I Live In Hope ... With Hope ... Which Springs Eternal! 

Brethren,

It Is Because Of Known Sin That 
We Are Pilgrims And Strangers 

In A Strange Land

Exiled From The Holy Congregation Of 
The Family Of The Eternal God! 

Even Though We Are Away From Home

The God Of All Grace Has Given Us Something:
Something To Dream About

Something To Yearn For

Something Beautiful To Look Forward To 

And

His Blessed Promise Of Care And Conveyance 

To Get Us Safely There! 

Beloved, 

Keep Hope Alive! 

Be Faithful And Obedient! 

Look Up To The Hills

And 

Pray The Word: 

My Help

Comes From The Lord Jesus

My Shepherd

My God And My King! 

I Shall Walk Through This Valley

In His Care

And 

I Shall Reach Hill Zion Safety

And 

I Shall There And Rejoice ... Forever! 

Heaven Is My Home! 

The Lord Is On His Throne

And 

All Is Well! 

My Jesus Saves! 

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: The Meek And Gentle Spirit!

They Love To Say That They Have Talents
Capital "T" And "S" At The End
So There Is No Need For Them To Be Meek
And That They Do Not To Others
- In Humility -
Have To Bend!

Big Whoo Hoo!!

Well, I've Got Jesus!
Creator At The Beginning
Savior In The Middle

And 
Redeemer At The End!
My Soul Against Damnation
He Defends!

They Would Do Well 
To Look At Mary The Mother Of Jesus
Elizabeth The Mother Of John The Baptist

Sarah The Mother Of Isaac And The Shunamite Woman!

Look At The Woman At The Well! 

Look At Hannah, Prophet Samuel's Mum
And, Then Look Around You And Look At Us
And See The Arrogance, The Pride
The Willful Waywardness
The Desire For The Preeminence
The Desire To Rule
The Constant Butting Of Heads
Because
No One Wants To Be Second
No One Want To Follow
No One Wants To Serve
Because
They Just Want To Be Seen
And
To Do That Properly
They Are Creating Havok
Amongst The People Of God
And
Retarding The Work Of The Lord Christ!

Instead Of Blessing With Faithful Service
They Are Doing The Benighting Work Of Satan, The Liar
The Wannabe God!

We, As Committed, Christian, Women 
Need To Learn To Be Meek!

Men, Too!

We, As Committed, Christian, Women Need
The Savior's Will Daily To Seek! 

Men, Too!

We Need To Stop, Think 
And 
Turn Away From Folly
And
Once And For All Times Learn That
Competition Causes Compromise

That A Broken Tailbone Always Results
From The Prideful Fall
That The Higher A Monkey Climbs
The More His Unmentionables Are Exposed
That Disdain For The Simple
Always Causes One To Neglect The Prayer Phone
That What Sweetens The Goat's Mouth Often Burns Him In The Tail
That Being Humble Is Not Fatal
And
That Being Meek Doesn't Mean One Is A Failure!

We Need To Remember That The Master Was Meek
And
We Need To Constantly Remember His Whole Character
The Methods He Used
The Means
The Walk
The Wisdom
The Watching Unto Prayer
The Desire To Please His Father
And
His Ready Willingness
The Good News To All Hearers
Compassionately, Lovingly, To Share
And
Without Fear!

Our Gentle Jesus ... The Man Of Sorrow
Lord Of Earth And Sky And Sea
Willing Servant
Willing Sacrifice Pure And Clean
Served With Kingdom Purpose
And
Not To Be Seen!

The Lord Lived What He Taught:
Humility With Love
Sharing With Hope
Blessing With Promise
Untainted By Time
Untempted By Tests
Unbothered By Base Courseness
Willing To Uplift The Faceless
The Tasteless, The Tawdry
The Profaned
Willing To Bless Bountifully
The Blind, The Halt, The Lame
Willing To Cleanse The Careless
The Clueless, The Foolish
And
Always With A Kind Heart
A Pure Heart
A Firm Voice
To Lay Out Truth Unpopular 
To The Puffed Up, Prideful, Self-Aggrandized
But
So Very Needed And Necessary
For Those Who Have Seeking Hearts
Searching Eyes
Attuned-To-Truth Ears
To Uplift Them
To Save Them
And
Against The Great Day Of Small Things
Impregnably Seal!

Unrepentant Sinners Shall Be Seared!

The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
Rules The World
For Good
For Ill
For Blessing
For Blight
For The Delight Of Satan
Or
For The Delight Of The Glorious One
Who Will Give To His Meek Ones
- On The Day Appointed -
The Earth Made New
And
Eternal Life!

Brethren,

I Am Sure Of Only One Thing:
It Is Time For Us To Change Into Gospel Shoes!

Being Meek Doesn't Mean
Being  A Door Mat
Nor A Mattress!
It Means Having The Character Of Christ
The Heart Of The Living, Holy God
Ever To Delight!

Being Meek Requires Faith's Pure Eyesight 
Which Gives Foresight
Which Negates The Need For Hindsight! 

Christ's Oversight Causes Us To Have Insight
Obviating The "Need" For Putrid Pride
Lost-Man Lust
And
Enervating Envy!
It's Time That We Cease From Wanting
With The Dying World To Be Trendy!

Indeed!
It Was Envy That Got Us Into This Mess 
In The First Place!

Thank God That Jesus Christ Saves!