GARDEN OF GRACE   Let's walk awhile in this Garden of Grace, Let's talk awhile in this beautiful place, Let's feel the warmth of the Son above,and  Tarry awhile in the depth of His Love.                                                      Lilian   Isn't it lovely to walk in the garden after a shower?  Everything smells fresh ands clean once again.. You know when we ask  the Lord into our lives we have that same freshness and cleansing. Jesus  comes in and "Spring cleans" our soul. Just like we "spring clean" our homes . He comes in  and washes away the sins that would make us unclean before God. He gives us the opportunity to get rid of all the unwanted "clutter" of our lives. The things that take up the space where He should be. Let's talk awhile about some of these things and perhaps you might decide to give Him that unwanted baggage you have been carrying around for years..         Just like the Tortoise carries his home on his back, we carry our burdens, when we could so easily hand them over to the Lord Jesus.  The Bible tells us in  1 Peter 5:7  "Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you"     When we work in our garden, we often take our wheelbarow along to carry the things that are too heavy for us to carry ourselves.  This makes sense to do this, it takes the stress and strain out of the job. Well Jesus wants to carry the things in your life that are too heavy for you to carry alone. His word tells us in Matthew 11:28 - 30. "Come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you , and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest for your soul. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."   Now that you know these things, how about you consider just what it is that  you need to hand over to Jesus for Him to carry for you. From my own experience I have found that the easiest way to "hand things over" is to stand before God and hold your hands up as if you had something in them. Tell Him what it is, name it, then give it to Him.        Do you have any unforgiveness in your heart, is there someone who has caused you pain that you find hard to forgive? Is there bitterness or jealousy that is tearing you apart? Is there grief that seems too much for you to bear? Is there loneliness or are you feeling rejected in some way? Is there fear or resentment or worry? Is there sickness or infirmity?   The list could go on and on, but whatever it is get rid of it. Hand it over, give it to God. He doesn't want you to bear it alone.  You might be saying "yes, but my heart is broken and I can't go on". I was like that myself once, but I read somewhere  "It is amazing what God can do with a broken heart, as long as you give Him all of the pieces"   Dear friend I share these things with you, because they really do work. I have tested and tried them out several times with different situations and when I  handed them all to God, He took them and a weight was lifted from me that words cannot truly explain. Try it please, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.. The God we serve is a Faithful God.   Hanging on to these things in your life is just like hanging on to the weeds in your garden, in time they will choke the things that could blossom and bloom in your life and bring you pleasure instead of pain.   Resentment and unforgiveness really only harms the one who feels it.  Not the one who may have caused it. God expects us to forgive others as He has forgiven us, it tells us that in the Lord Prayer, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." Have you ever really thought about those words? The measure of forgiveness we give out is the same measure we will get from God! An interesting thought  my friend!  I know that I want all of God's forgiveness, don't you?      
  How about right now you hand over all  of your troubles to God. Tell Him what they are, name them and then say this simple prayer from your heart.   "Dear Father God, I thank you that as I have given all of these burdens to You, You have taken them from me and I am now free from them and the pain that went with them. Help me never to take them back from You again. Give me Your strength to forgive others as You have forgiven me. In Jesus Name.  Amen."   Now, then think  about it, don't you feel better already? Hasn't the weight of all those cares been lifted from you? If not then ask yourself, " have I really given them to God or am I hanging on to some little part of them myself. " That won't work dear friend only complete surrender will work. So go on Try again until you get it right. God will bless you for it, I promise you.     Now that the weeding and pruning are over and the "garden" of your life is  starting to look rosy and clean,  you will find that it is easier to keep clean too  because you now have a helper and a teacher. After His death on the Cross and resurrection three days later, Jesus spent some time with His disciples and before He left to be with the Father He promised that He would send  another Helper.   In John 14:25 Jesus said "I have told you this while I am still with you. The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember what I have told you." Then in John 15:1-4 Jesus tells us "I am the real vine, and My Father is the gardener. He breaks off every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and He prunes every branch that does not bear fruit, so that it will be clean and bear more fruit.  You have been made clean already by the teaching I have given you. Remain united to Me, and I will remain united to you. A Branch cannot bear fruit by itself, it can do so only if it remains in the vine.  In the same way you cannot bear fruit unless you remain in me"      Well I hope this little talk together has answered some of your questions about living your life as a  Christian, If this page has blessed you in any way I would love to hear from you, please feel free to email me. Should you have any questions concerning what we have been discussing, I will endeavour to answer them for you. Until then my Dear Friends God Bless you and  may you           Some graphics from  and