Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

February 8
Friday


THE SECRET
GARDEN

READ:
Proverbs 4:20-27
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Keep your heart with
all diligence, for out of
it spring the issues of
life. __Proverbs 4:23
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The secret Garden, a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, tells the story of Mary, a young girl who goes to live with her wealthy
uncle Archibald on his estate in England. Mary gets to know Dickon, a working-class boy who loves nature. The two children discover a fenced-in-garden that Mary's uncle has locked up because it reminds him of his deceased wife. The garden looks dead because of neglect, but Dickon assures Mary that, with proper tendng, it will recover with new life. With the children's help, "the secret garden" eventually bursts forth with colorful, fragrant blooms.

All of us have a secret garden of the heart. How we tend it will determine what speech and behavior it produces. Proverbs wisely admonishes us: "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). The word keep means "to watch or guard with fidelity." Guarding what we take into our hearts and monitoring our response will determine what takes root there. As we remove the thorns of resentment, weeds of lust, and roots of bitterness, we can replace them with the fruit of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22-23).

Are you tending the garden of your heart? __Dennis fisher
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`````````````````Think not alone of outward form;`````````````````
````````````````````Its beauty will depart;```````````````````````
````````````````But cultivate the Spirit's fruits````````````````````
````````````That grow within the heart. __D. De Haan```````````````

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God wants you to water the seed
He's planted in your heart.


**************Today's Bible Reading __ Proverbs 4:20-27***********

20 My son, give attention
to my words; incline your
ear to my sayings.

21 Do not let them depart
from your eyes; keep them
in the midst of your heart;

22 for they are life to those
who find them, and health
to all their flesh.

23 Keep your heart with all
diligence, for out of it
spring the issues of life.

24 Put away from you a
deceitful mouth, and put
perverse lips far from you.

25 Let your eyes look
straight ahead, and your
eyelids look right before
you..

26 Ponder the path of your
feet, and let all your ways
be established.

27 Do not turn to the right
or the left; remove your
fo0t from evil.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In the wisdom of the Proverbs, Solomon gives inspired counsel to
his son. The counsel offered here is active, not passive, as seen in
the verbs the son is called to enact. "Give attention" (v.24), "look
straight ahead" (v.25), "ponder the path" (v.26), and "remove"
(v.27) all are calls to action that the path of wisdom requires. James,
the writer of New Testament proverbs, reminds us that we must not
only be hearers of the Word, we must also be doers of the Word
(James 1:22). __WEC

[Mackenaw]

Wow, sounds like The Holy Spirit has been making rounds.

Wooooooohooooooo!

I love it, I love Him.

God's blessings to you all,
Mack