GOLDEN WORDS
Your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Genesis 3:5
Man has always been dexterous at confusing evil with good. That was Adam's and Eve's
problem, and it is our problem today. If evil were not made to appear attractive, there
would be no such thing as temptation.
Billy Graham, Till Armageddon
Daily Meditations by Pat Nordman ©
May 14
"I have come into my garden..." Song of Songs 5:1; "Thinking he was the
gardener..." John 20:15.
Many gardens are mentioned in Scripture, but four are extraordinary: the Garden of Eden
(Genesis 2:8); the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36); the Garden of Joseph (John
19:41); and the Garden of Paradise (Revelation 2:7).
Eden tells us of the creation of man in the image of God, a pure and holy genesis of what
might have been unbroken fellowship. It also speaks to us of a fall and God's precious
promise of lifting up. It was a dark, dark evening for God and man when Adam and Eve were
expelled from this beautiful Garden.
Gethsemane became necessary because of this expulsion. Otherwise, we would all be lost.
This is where the agony, the atonement, began. In Eden humans fell. In Gethsemane the
divine Savior bent to the ground in the ultimate sorrow. It was to restore the lost ground
of Eden that the Deliverer endured the terminal spiritual illness of man. Will we ever
understand what He endured and accomplished?
The Garden of Joseph tells us of victory. From the cross He went forth to death and
seeming defeat; from Joseph's garden He came forth to everlasting life and fulfillment.
"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive" 1 Corinthians
15:22.
Paradise tells us of Eden renewed. Sin abounded in and after Eden so grace much more
abounds in Paradise (Romans 5:20). It is here that our beloved Jesus will wipe away every
tear. "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order
of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:4) in our new Eden, our lovely Paradise.
Thank You, God, for being our Gardener!
Pat Nordman ©
Excerpts from today's Spurgeon's Devotions |
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| "Joint heirs with Christ." - Romans 8:17 |
"He shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom." - Isaiah 40:11 |
As "heir of all things," he is the sole proprietor of the vast creation of God, and he has admitted us to claim the whole as ours, by virtue of that deed of joint-heir-ship which the Lord hath ratified with his chosen people. |
Frequently he "carries" them by giving them a very simple faith, which takes the promise just as it stands, and believingly runs with every trouble straight to Jesus. The simplicity of their faith gives them an unusual degree of confidence, which carries them above the world. |
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Current Bible Question ?
Who was struck dumb by the Lord and was then only able to speak when the Lord gave him something to say?
Previous question and Answer:
What king prophesied while accompanied by a minstrel?
Elisha (2 Kings 4:32)
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This special devotion is from Pat Nordman.
This letter was written to her sons in 1975, the year before her oldest killed himself.
This letter went on to be published in many publications, and Methodist Hour International
read it three years in a row and got many requests for it.
It is published here this weekend per request of Pat Nordman in honor of her four living
sons, Richard, Robert, Danny and Mike.
..and by his light I walked through darkness! JOB 29:3 NIV
My Precious Children by Pat Nordman
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| I want to pass on to you a sustaining faith that will support you through
your lives. My dear ones, I won't always be with you on the earth. You will go through
crucibles of sorrows and trials. Don't allow them to defeat you! Some are tried in the
furnace of affliction. Perhaps God will choose to refine you in this way because He wants
to see His image restored in you. No matter what happens to you, praise, love, and thank
your Saviour always. He has promised His strength to those who wait on Him. Man may fail,
you may fail at times, but your loving Father will never fail you. I haven't always given
you what you wanted--perhaps not even what you needed. I pray God will be the Sufficiency
for my lacks, the Gentleness for my impatience, the Compassion for my misunderstandings,
the Calm for my restlessness. Dear ones, I want for you what God wants for you. He wants you to be His heroes, armed with faith, purity, and humility in a disbelieving, pleasure-seeking, vain world that has no time nor love for its gracious Creator. How sad! You have come into the world for such a time as this because God wants you to reflect His care and love to those who will cross your path of life. Fame and riches mean nothing. I beg you not to seek them! It may be that God will put you forward, but it will only be because He has a great work for you. But if He gives much He will expect much in return. Don't disappoint your beautiful Saviour! I thank you, dear precious gifts, for given my life an eternal dimension--for giving me something to live, work, and strive for. You have inspired me and I love you deeply. Happy Mother's Day! Send a note to © Pat Nordman , the writer of this devotion |
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More Walking Through the Darkness
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