“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29

This last weekend, Katie and I got away to the mountains. It had been a few years since we took the opportunity to ‘see the leaves’ at our mountain retreat. Having closed everything up, we were driving back to the airport. We’d only been on the road for 2 hours when I heard a ‘DING’ from the rental car. Searching around, I finally found the notice! And laughed!

The dashboard notice wasn’t in red, Nor was it flashing! But it was there. And it said, “You may want to consider stopping for a rest.” Laughing was the only thing my body knew to do! Unfamiliar with this new notice, I wondered if it was a reflection upon an overly-entitled society, or based upon any real scientific research! Because I was just coming OFF of a rest!

Since I had no intention of stopping, AND had a plane to catch, I kept driving. But as beautifully colored fall leaves passed by my view, the notice got me thinking. ‘Was there a meeting?’ ‘Did someone interrupt the dashboard message committee to suggest this?’ ‘Did anyone object or question the suggested 2 hour time delay?’ ‘And if so, on whose authority?’ Then I thought about these words from Jesus!

Just how far does Jesus expect me to go, and for how long, before I am gently urged to ‘consider stopping for a rest?’ Having never considered it before, I was forced to consider that there HAD to be SOME kind of ‘rest-gauge’ or He’d have never said what He said in the first place. People are NOT machines and REQUIRE rest in order to perform at 100% efficiency.

In the Old Testament, God created 1 day out of 7 for forced rest. Now that we are under Grace, we are not FORCED to stop working. But that doesn’t remove the NEED to do so. It only reinforces the need that JESUS Himself needs to be part of the planned rest in the first place! Being gentle and humble Himself, He models those 2 characteristics and wants ME to follow suit!

Our fall get-a-way was a good time! We did get some much needed rest, and only wished for more. I could tell that the time away was successful because I didn’t get angry at seeing the message… or with other drivers hogging the road. And then I thanked my Savior for His loving consideration of my time. How can I NOT love a God like Him???

Are YOU considering some rest with your ‘Manufacturer?’

How Do You Find Meaning in the Bible’s Narratives?

Interview with John Piper – Founder & Teacher, www.desiringGod.org

Audio Transcript

We’ve talked a lot about Bible-study principles on the podcast — specifically, arcing: the practice of breaking down a paragraph in the Bible to its individual statements, its propositions, to determine how those propositions relate to one another logically, so we can see for ourselves the main point of a text. It’s a powerful way to employ discourse analysis. We talked about this back in episode 1056. But in that episode, you only used examples from Paul’s epistles. And I think the epistles are rather intuitive for arcing. But Nicholas in Ontario, Canada — who is, I gather, a pastor — writes in to ask about narrative texts.

“Hello, Pastor John. Thank you for your tireless work on this podcast. It is such a blessing to have these concise and thoughtful responses to the perennial questions of life. I am currently listening on Audible to your book Reading the Bible Supernaturally. It has been such a wonderful refresher on why to read the Bible and how to focus my reading and study for personal devotion and sermon prep. Thank you. My question is regarding narratives. You make the point that your revolution in reading came when you discovered that the Bible’s authors were making arguments and that tracing those arguments well was key to understanding the author, and thus God’s intention in the word. I see how this applies to the epistles of the New Testament and even wisdom literature. But what about narratives? My church is currently preaching through Luke, and while there is indeed structure, how do you ‘arc out’ a narrative? Are there different keys you look for? Are there specific transitions, markers, or triggers you are looking for in the narrative texts?”

Seeing What an Author Is Saying

Well, let me see if I can get everybody up to speed with what he’s asking. I put a huge emphasis on following an author’s train of thought in order to find his true intention. And I do believe that the most fundamental goal of reading is to discover the author’s intention, what he wants to communicate. Now, there may be other good effects of reading besides that discovery. You might just find entertainment, for example. But without pursuing this foundational effect of finding an author’s intention, we’re being discourteous, and we’re treating authors the way we don’t like to be treated when we try to communicate something and somebody says, “I don’t really care what you’re trying to communicate. I’m going to take your words to mean this or that.”

“Without pursuing this foundational effect of finding an author’s intention, we’re being discourteous.”

And in the process, we’re going to lose a great opportunity for growing. If we don’t care about finding what another person has discovered in reality, and we’re just going to read our own ideas in, we’re not going to grow. And 2 Peter 3:18 says, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” So, I argue that one essential means of pursuing that goal of finding an author’s intention and growing in knowledge and grace is to carefully trace an author’s argument.

And by argument, I don’t mean quarrel. I know that sometimes people use the word argument differently than I do. I mean a sequence of thought that builds from foundations to conclusions. For example, Romans 1:15–17 goes like this. (There are going to be three becauses.)

I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. Because I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. . . . Because in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith.

I read my Bible for two decades before I discovered that’s the way Paul wrote. So there are four massively important statements here, right? And my point is that you can’t understand Paul’s intention, what he’s trying to communicate, unless you understand the logical relationships between those four statements. And Paul signals, loud and clear, those relationships by using the word because three times. He’s building an argument from foundations to conclusions.

Clues in the Narrative

Now, Nicholas’s question is how that detailed, rigorous focus on the logical relationships between particular statements relates to the interpretation of big sections of narrative in the Bible or story in the Bible. And he could expand it out and ask, “How does it relate to poetry and parable and so on?” Events that are woven together in a certain way — that’s what I mean by narrative. Should we seek the author’s intention in the same way?

And my answer is this: In principle, yes. But in the details of how the author signals his intention, we’re going to have to watch for other things than simply one proposition following another proposition with a logical connector in between. Stories don’t work like that. But biblical authors write stories for a reason. They are trying to communicate something to us. They want us to find it.

I remember when I wrote Reading the Bible Supernaturally, which he referred to, I was just blown away by this. I saw this really for the first time. One of Jesus’s main criticisms of the Pharisees was that he said they didn’t know how to read. I mean, it must absolutely have galled them. I mean, they were the readers, right? Over and over he says, “Have you not read? . . . Have you not read?” (Matthew 12:3; 19:4; 22:31). And they’re scratching their heads and saying, “All we do is read!” Of course they read. So what does he mean? He means they were reading and not reading, seeing and not seeing.

“Biblical authors write stories for a reason. They are trying to communicate something to us. They want us to find it.”

In other words, there are real intentions that the inspired authors communicate — in this case, the Old Testament authors that the Pharisees read every day — whether through careful, sentence-by-sentence exposition, or whether through poetry, or whether through narrative, and those Pharisees weren’t seeing it at all. That’s what Jesus was upset about.

So yes, we should look for an author’s intention in all writing — all writing that’s worth its salt. And yes, we should look for whatever clues the author gives us, and all good authors do give clues to help us find what he’s trying to communicate. Those clues with regard to narrative might be repetitions, or the order of events, or what the dialogues actually say, or the effects of certain events, or actual inserted interpretive comments by the author, and so on.

Joseph and the Story of Many Layers

So let me just give a few illustrations from one of the best stories in the Old Testament. I’m thinking of Joseph now in Genesis 37–50. Some regard this as one of the best short stories that’s ever been written, if you want to put it in those categories. It’s an absolutely riveting story, and you wonder, What in the world is going on here? Where is this going, this story?

There are fourteen whole chapters about Joseph’s dreams, the hatred of his brothers, their selling him into slavery, his fall further and further into misery as Potiphar’s wife lies about him — and then he goes to prison, and he’s forgotten in prison. And then he becomes the second-ranked ruler in Egypt, and the people of God are saved from starvation in the famine, and the line of the Messiah is preserved. Oh, that’s what was going on!

And there are numerous layers of intentions in this writing. I want to get it out of people’s minds that when you read a narrative, you get the big picture or get the one big point. Well, yes, by all means, get the one big point. It may govern all the others, but there are a lot of little points that authors make along the way.

The Bible in Parable

So let’s start with the big picture of this story. I think Moses wrote Genesis, and he does not leave us wondering about the big overarching intention of the story. He fills us in with a couple of very clear, pointed summary statements of what he’s been talking about. For example, Joseph says in Genesis 45:7–8,

God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here [even though you sold me into slavery!], but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

In other words, all these apparently human events that we’ve been reading about for fourteen chapters, even the sinful ones, were in the control of the sovereign God, who is sending his emissary through sinful actions down to Egypt to save his people. That’s crazy. That’s wonderful. That’s almost the meaning of the Bible in parable.

And then in Genesis 50:20, Joseph says to his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive.” I think when you read that, you almost have to go back and reread the story, because now you get it. Now you say, “Oh, that’s where it was all going.” And you can reread the story and say with that clue in your mind, “This meant that, and this was going here.” You see God’s hand more immediately.

So, the big point is that the human sinfulness of God’s people or human sinfulness against God’s people not only do not thwart his saving plans, but they advance his saving plans. They are part of the plans of God to save his people and finally bring his Messiah into the world through that line. So that’s the big picture. And he clues us in with hints all along the way and with that big explanatory statement at the end.

‘The Lord Was with Him’

But there are other clues of meaning and layers of meaning besides the big interpretive statement at the end. Along the way, Moses mingles worsening circumstances with encouraging words. Joseph is thrown into the pit. He’s sold as a slave. He’s far from home in Egypt. He’s lied about by Potiphar’s wife. He’s forgotten in prison. Down, down, down, down — you can graph this story, and it corresponds to many of our lives. I’ve done this for our people. I graph it and say, “Where are you on this horribly descending graph of miserable circumstances in your life?” And he comes to the end, and then he seems to be forgotten by God. What in the world? It’s supposed to sound that way.

But along the way, Moses says things like, “The Lord was with him and . . . the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands” (Genesis 39:3). Or again, “The Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Genesis 39:21). We get these hints along the way that even though things are getting worse for Joseph, it’s not because of his sinfulness. He’s not bringing this on himself. It’s not because he’s been abandoned by God — but because of God’s hidden purpose. And as we read, we want to know, What’s the purpose? What’s the purpose? God, you say you’re for him; you don’t look like you’re for him.

Story Within a Story

One more illustration of how the author gets across his intention, and this is one of the most perplexing things to me in the whole story. Chapter 38 totally, it seems, interrupts the flow of the story. The Joseph story begins in chapter 37 with the dreams and the selling into slavery in Egypt, and — bang! — Moses inserts chapter 38 as soon as the big story starts, and it is so extraneous. It tells this bizarre story about Judah, Joseph’s older brother, who winds up getting his daughter-in-law pregnant, thinking she’s a prostitute. Now whatever else is going on here, my question is, Moses, why here? I mean, put that chapter before chapter 37. Let the story flow. What’s the point of interrupting the narrative with this chapter 38?

Well, here’s my suggestion, and I would love to know whether it’s right or not. The very next thing after that horrible immorality of Judah in chapter 38 — the very next thing we read about in Joseph’s story — is Joseph’s incredible uprightness in sexual relations with Potiphar’s wife, who tries to seduce him. And Moses records his words: “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). So, I think the ordering of the narrative with the insertion of Judah’s sexual immorality just before Joseph’s staggeringly effective and beautiful sexual morality is to underline in bright colors the difference between Judah’s unfaithfulness and Joseph’s amazing sexual uprightness, which simply goes to show that there can be main points to narratives and lots of sub-points to narratives that we should be alert to.

Keep Looking

So, in answer to Nicholas’s question: whether we are reading a tightly argued epistle of Paul or a sweeping narrative across fourteen chapters, we’re always looking for what the author intends to communicate. And we look for the kinds of clues that he gives us, whether in exposition or in narration, to help us find the intention.

I would just say to Nicholas that the more you read — the more I read — with that aim of spotting those tips and pointers that authors give us, the more you’re going to see.

John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Providence.

“Keep yourself from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ by making every effort to add to your faith…” 2 Peter 1:5-8 (Kinda)

It’s been extremely busy at our house lately. Not unusual! But so busy, that normal has been drowned by the sweat of busy business. With several unusual events happening or coming up, we have adjusted and exchanged normalcy for the extreme. One of our ‘normal’ events we shelved last week was going to the Gym. I cringe to even write that!

There are only so many hours in a day. And when a goal to accomplish something bigger ends up driving the ship, even if only temporarily, directions and courses often get changed. Over a year ago Katie, and the results of a blood test, persuaded me to agree to join a gym. This week, we missed ‘Gym’ a couple of times. Though really, I was NOT sorry to see him go!

I have an image problem with Gym. I don’t carry the look of a buff, male specimen. And don’t really care to. When vising Gym, I see lots of specimens expending an extraordinary amount of sweat and energy. Looking in the mirror, as so man of them do, I am forced to ask the poignant question, “what’s the point?”

Looking buff and in shape are externals. Since I don’t regularly walk in front of a mirror, I don’t really focus looks. My goal and purpose in life lies within me. So internally focusing on an external is of no interest and seems a waste of time. At least when I’m cutting grass or trimming bushes, I can SEE progress. The same issue applies to my reading the Bible.

I have issues. We all do. Most of the time I do just fine. But now and again I fail. And while failure isn’t typically visual, it DOES carry a heavy load of guilt and sorrow along with it. And how I FEEL matters more than how look. Kinda! Exercising today’s partial Bible verse helps me to send guilt and sorrow down the road. Which BECOMES the point!

I read that when a cockroach touches a human, it will flee to safety in order to clean itself! I cringe at that thought because, this fact proves the cockroach my superior! When touched by the unclean, the distinct call of God’s intent for my life calls me to His Word to cleanse, perfect, and put me back on God’s track. Which, I have LEARNED… IS THE POINT!

Whose track are YOU running on?

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 NLT

The legendary stories of the great coffee pot have come to an end. It is… no more! As my mortal soul slowly perks to the mournful tune of TAPS, I must seek, find and implement a mutually satisfying ‘coffee’ solution with my wife. Few things are more difficult!

It was Sunday morning when I got up early to prepare for church. Having preset the coffee to be made upon awakening, a lifeless, empty pot sat where there SHOULD have been hot, steamy, aromatic brew. A frantic pushing of buttons on the panel brought no signs of life. It was GONE! Problem 1… NEED COFFEE!

Katie was asleep and had NO idea the situation existed. But when she awoke, she would WANT COFFEE. That burden rests on me because… He-brews! After weighing options, I found myself standing at Walmart’s coffee pot isle, weighing options. Cost and color battled for dominance. Remembering the old one, BLACK was preferred. But all that sat on the shelf was ‘red’ or ‘silver.’ I had a problem. What do I want???

What I wanted was COFFEE. Knowing my wife to be color particular, I chose the red and hurried home. I KNEW it could go bad… and it did. Only AFTER she drank her coffee did the issue come up! “RED??” she said. “But it clashes! What can we do about THAT?” And the clock was ticking.

Returning the coffee pot didn’t seem a noble answer. “Thank you for the coffee fix, but we really don’t like the color” doesn’t seem a legitimate excuse. The item is now USED! What can THEY do with it? AND… It did DO what I bought it to do. Sunday night reminded me that we would need coffee Monday morning. All I had was a red coffee maker! So I loaded ‘er up!

Now this sounds ridiculous. But like SO many issues of life, it is VERY real. Desire and want constantly fight; color over convenience, easy over difficult, immediate need over artistic expression. No matter the choice, the other choice loses! And time keeps ticking.

Jesus said, “ask and you will receive.” At the initial reading of this verse lies an apparent promise. But with the promise comes other questions. What if what I ask for isn’t what I SHOULD be asking for? Is it possible for me to be WRONG? Will I have to ultimately live with that choice or do I get another. As with SO many lessons from Jesus, the answer to these questions is… “yes!” The REAL question then becomes… ‘what do I REALLY want?’What about YOU?  

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

It’s happened a lot lately. Going to sleep last night in the state of Florida, I woke up in the state of ‘conflicted!’ And I hadn’t even planned the trip! But after stepping on the scale this morning, evidence of ‘unintentional travel’ was staring me in the face. NOW… like it or not (and I apparently ‘liked it’ a LOT) I’ve got some decisions to make!

They call it ‘FALL’ for a reason. But I didn’t expect the season to reflect the desires of my heart! About a month ago, the HUGE sign at the frozen food section of Walmart said, “PUMPKIN PIE – $3.85”! So I bought one, not realizing it had to be BAKED. The bowl of soup, after it thawed, proved I hadn’t read the directions. So I tossed it and bought another! When cool enough, in the back of the refrigerator, I discovered a leftover container of whipped cream! The rest is history!

In the last month we have gone through 3 pies! But only two of us live in this house, and Katie doesn’t eat pie. So WE didn’t go through ANYTHING! The evidence, looking back from the scale, convicted me of single-handed over-indulgence. Apparently… I liked it WAY TOO MUCH! And it’s only October! So my convicted heart is now asking, “where do you go from HERE, Porky?”

Some Bible verses are clear and simple. Others, like today’s, require a little more study than just a simple reading can supply. Since God doesn’t make mistakes, I can’t blame HIM for my desire for pie. Going deceptively further, It would be easy to suggest that, “SINCE there was a half full container of whipped cream in my fridge, God MUST have desired I EAT IT!” Yes… I’ve met people who think like that! And that thinking is dangerously contagious!

When I place my emphasis on God and HIS desire for me, HE has the ability to change my heart to desire HIS virtue and will. It’s all discovered in the power of His Word and suggestions by the Holy Spirit. If I WANT to please Him, He shows me HOW. The more I look to HIM, the easier He can be seen and followed. Being honest with myself is a first step. The bad news from the scales of life CAN be demoralizing. But they’re not supposed to be.

Facts are Facts! And the facts do not display emotion. Having aligned the facts with my life, and after being convicted, my next step is to decide what I will DO with them. It is MY decision as to when, and if, change will come. But I NEED to decide! Because Walmart is ALWAYS open, my Bible and spirit need to be as well.

What are the desires of YOUR heart?  

 “… do not look to your own interests but to the interests of others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:4-5

The time has come to part with another blessing from our Heavenly Father. 15 years ago we bought another house, with the intention of selling this one, and moving. Having 2 houses doubles the work, and we’ve reached the decision to part ways with the other place. All was going well, until an inspector told us there’s a problem. Apparently I have leakage!

NOW is NOT the TIME! I was looking forward to being done and over with the repair business. When I went to check out the leaky problem, I discovered it was non-existent! Which makes matters even WORSE! Though I have a problem that doesn’t exist, it STILL needs to be addressed! In other words, a PERCEIVED problem needs to disappear!

I love my Realtor! Both she and my wife talked me down off the ledge, then gently helped me climb back into my Jesus suit! They helped me recognize the benefit of looking out for other people’s interests as well as my own. Oftentimes, this preacher needs preached TO! I really appreciate it when people who care about me do the hard thing and tell the truth.

Getting into other people’s business is something that Jesus did often… and well. Truthfully, it didn’t work out most of the time, and we KNOW what happened to Him. But He was not sent here by His Dad to be served. He came to serve! AND to teach people, like me, how to do the same! This verse today makes it crystal clear… Jesus wants me to leak!

When I was a kid, my mom often called me a ‘me-first-er.’ Demanding my own way, jumping to the head of a line, being non-cooperative and LOUD were just some of the ways I used to get my own way. My mom is resting from her troubles now and in Heaven with Jesus. But a MUCH more assertive leader, The Holy Spirit, has taken her place. And HE doesn’t mess around!

When I go to the store, He reminds me of things that Katie or the church need and urges me to get them. When I see someone in a tough spot, He interrupts me to offer assistance. I DON’T have to tell you the battles we have when I’m driving! There, I am a SERIOUS work in progress! But PROGRESS is what He is always shooting for.

I am called to look… and THINK… like Jesus! To be sure, this expectation from God is a MAJOR inconvenience! He NEVER leaves and RARELY quiets down. And He can be quite demanding. But as I face this day, I am reminded by my house incident, that leaks are not only inevitable… they are REQUIRED!

For God’s sake… what are YOU doing?

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10

I’ve heard of stories where a woman’s plan was interrupted by the sudden jolt of her ‘water breaking,’ sending her into labor! Not being a woman, I’ve not experienced or witnessed such an event. That is… until last night, when within a matter of minutes, the BIGGEST BABY I have ever seen was born. And right there in the middle of a room full of people!

The subject of our Bible Study was ‘HOW’ someone is saved and assured of their guarantee of a place in Heaven. Is it by Faith…? By Works…? A combination of both? And IF they are saved, is it possible to ABSOLUTELY KNOW that they ARE? Suddenly, there was a groan in the room!

It wasn’t spectacular… or really even all that noticeable. I just happened to be looking in the right direction when it happened and recognized ‘the look!’ Within a matter of moments, about 30 of us witnessed the experience of a BIG baby being birthed!

It started with the simple question, “if YOU were to die right this moment, would YOU KNOW FOR CERTAIN you would go to Heaven?” It is NOT an essay question! When life is threatening to expire, or erupt, it’s a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer! With his negative answer, there was really no time to exacerbate the situation with long theological discussions and explanations. So I gave him what Sgt. Friday of ‘Dragnet’ fame used to say… “just the facts!”

Within moments, the Holy Spirit invaded the room and took over. All we could do was watch at the wonder of New Birth. Eternal and in Jesus Style! Birth went off without a hitch and Heaven received another citizen. Just like that! Tho preparations for that moment had been laid for YEARS!

When someone is Born Again in Christ, I ALWAYS remember when I was. At 12, I wasn’t an intellectual, moral or sophisticated prize. But I was old enough to understand that there was NO WAY a perfect God could allow an IMPERFECT being into His presence. I recognized that I was ‘eternally screwed’ and in need of a Savior. Enter Jesus!

Jesus does it all the time. And to people who don’t even know they are on the verge of being born. Some choose to stop the process by rejecting God’s free offer. But for those of us who said YES, Eternal Life is unexplainably VERY REAL. ‘Knowing so’ is just part of the experience.

Do you remember when YOU said ‘Yes’ to Jesus’ Offer of Free Eternal Life? If not, you might want to stop looking up what ‘ exacerbate’ means and instead, take the time to find out what being ‘Born Again’ is all about! I’m ALWAYS available and honored to fill in as a labor coach!

How about a little traveling music please, Maestro!!!

“I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.” Proverbs 4:11

Today will be the start of something big! At least for our house. Having lived here for well over 30 years, the pathway and drive will be ripped up and replaced with new pavers. Though the physical experience of driving will remain unchanged, my lovely wife will LOVE coming home to the new look.

The choice for this project came because of her emphasis on the visual. She has an artist’s brain, so if something is messy, crooked or even old, she wants to see it replaced. I am the ONLY physical thing that has escaped that refined eye… so I TRY not to push my luck! I can appreciate that seeing, and HOW we see, has HUGE ramifications.

Because needs and wants are subjective, it is easy to confuse and distort someone’s view on almost any matter. Sometimes that can cause more problems than the actual problem! (just look at our political world today).  Katie and I have a fine driveway right now and we don’t NEED a new one! But HER vision and the way SHE sees it, tips the scales from ‘want’ to ‘need’ in a rather creative way. So I CHOOSE to get a new driveway because… ‘I’ need AND want… a happy wife!

God chose a rather colorful man to send us messages directly from Him. Solomon was given the wisdom to hear and communicate God’s heart to people in MANY matters that matter. But because God is loving and considerate, He did not make His wisdom MANdatory! Man chose, with the aid of ‘first loser satan,’ to press the “free will” button and go his own way. Unfortunately God, out of love, was forced to abide by the terms that man’s choice brought.

One of my favorite sayings comes from an old Scottish preacher named George Moore who said, “The difficulty in life… is the choice!” HUGE truth! God, who INVENTED nit-picking moms and wives, uses Proverbs as a method to … well pick! And He does so in Proverbs… over and over and over again. In a nutshell, God said… “pick me and get wisdom!” As the original salesman, He then goes on to lay out the features and benefits of doing just that.

Through the centuries, preachers, prophets, kings and commoners like me, have confirmed that God really MEANS what He says. His benefits to me are BEYOND counting and CANNOT be dismissed. “Jesus WORKS” is one of my sayings. “Try Me” is one of His. I did, and He does!

Now… How do YOU see life?

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.” Genesis 3:7b

It all started from a seed. An idea that sprouted in one of our church folk. Coming to me, he made the suggestion that, “since we own a land that is mostly just lawn, why don’t we plant a vegetable garden to help feed our flock?” This seed expanded and, before long, we now have a cleared out piece of dirt awaiting the next step. And somehow… I am now a farmer!

Greg, the brains behind this idea, handed me a pot with dirt and some green things growing out of it. “This is for you,” he said. Apparently it’s supposed to turn into huge thriving melon plants. As he described it, I had a vision of me sitting among large, green, orbs of juiciness. Within a week, the plants were dead! But I HAD WARNED him of my history!

I can’t grow anything. After trying numerous times, I apparently yielded my potential green thumb over to the powers of darkness! Weeds are all I seem to grow well! But not wishing to stunt the growth of a good idea, I’m playing along with a group of would be gardeners, doing what they ask me to do, planning for dirt, ordering fencing and just being available.

I’ve been to the site with shovel and ax. Already, I have invested sweat and blood. Literally! And we haven’t planted 1 seed yet. But I trust! There are people who have caught this vision and THEY believe! Me? I believe in THEM. So when the questions come, like, “hey, what’s with the garden?” Or, “when are we going to…?” I just forward those questions to a team of folks who seem to know the answers.

The whole process of gardening for food came about from the first sin. And since I’m good at sinning, I conclude that I should take some responsibility in the food growing project! Because, it seems to me, that it is God’s way of doing things!

God is a farmer! His parables of sowing and reaping, along with shepherding, prove that God plays the long game. Seeds and lambs take time, money and work before any results can be seen. And since there is an enemy lurking out there, there are NO guarantees. Except that HE will be with me through ANY situation.

I’m planning for painful toil! I see it coming, I WILL be ready and available. Because having read that Bible verse, one word stands out that gives me hope… “WILL!” If I do MY part, HE WILL see to it that the result will come to me in the form of a benefit. Even if the plants die! To God… NOTHING is ever wasted. Even the lessons to a poor gardener!

So what’s growing in YOU?