And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Genesis 2:8.
That home [the home of our first parents], beautified by the hand of God Himself, was not a gorgeous palace. Men, in their pride, delight in magnificent and costly edifices, and glory in the works of their own hands; but God placed Adam in a garden. This was his dwelling. The blue heavens were its dome; the earth, with its delicate flowers and carpet of living green, was its floor; and the leafy branches of the goodly trees were its canopy. Its walls were hung with the most magnificent adornings—the handiwork of the great Master Artist.
It was the design of God that man should find happiness in the employment of tending the things He had created, and that his wants should be met with the fruits of the trees of the garden.
In the surroundings of the holy pair was a lesson for all time—that true happiness is found, not in the indulgence of pride and luxury, but in communion with God through His created works. If men would … cultivate greater simplicity, they would come far nearer to answering the purpose of God in their creation…. What are the possessions of even the most wealthy, in comparison with the heritage given to the lordly Adam?
The Garden of Eden was a representation of what God desired the whole earth to become, and it was His purpose that, as the human family increased in numbers, they should establish other homes … like the one He had given. Thus in course of time the whole earth might be occupied with homes and schools where the words and the works of God should be studied, and where the students should thus be fitted more and more fully to reflect, throughout endless ages, the light of the knowledge of His glory.
The Faith I Live By p. 250
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Prayer Requests
—-My step-grandson has been diagnosed with liver&spleen cancer. Waiting for other tests results. He’s not yet 30. Please be praying. Cynthia
—-Please pray for Shirley. She and her husband, Carl, lost their home in the Paradise, CA fire. Wanda
—-Urgently in need of prayers for my son Michael. He has FINALLY reached out to God and now the evil has him in a headlock. I fear for his life! He and his family are in danger spiritually and he is in also in danger physically. Karan
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Dear Friends,
All of his life, my grandfather, Edwin Harmon, loved trains. His love for trains started when he had left home at the age of ten and wandered up and down the east coast. Much of that time was spent hitching a ride in a boxcar. As he would ride along, he would often pretend that he was the engineer driving that huge engine, that was taking him far away from the unhappiness of his homelife.
Even though he traveled far away, he missed his dear mother. He knew that his wandering worried her, so he often returned home to assure her that he was safe and well. He was very careful to come home at a time when he knew his father would be at work. One day, when he was in his late teens, he stopped by his home to see her. Unfortunaely, his father was home from work that day. Immediately, the man set about getting him into an apprenticeship in the family trade of bookbinding.
My grandfather didn’t want to do it, but he had no choice. Somehow his father was able to force him into it. All his life, he worked as a bookbinder. All his life he hated it. He felt trapped. He felt enslaved. The only enjoyment he got as he worked at his trade was day-dreaming of being behind the throttle of a gigantic locomotive.
How many do the same in the Christian walk. They join the church because their parents are members and they know that it is expected of them. Every week, they sit in the pew and appear to be listening to the preacher, but their mind is wandering in other paths. Their thoughts are on themselves and that which they’d rather be doing. How well the Saviour describes them. “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Matt 15:8
Others want to be a Christian. They think about being a totally committed Christian. They talk about spiritual things. They dream of the reward at the end but somehow are never able to reach out and grasp the free gift of salvation. This great gift is there for the asking, but it is not never forced upon us. God never forces.
In order to partake of that Heavenly Gift, we must ask for it. We must reach out and take it. We must have a daily experience, a daily conversion. It must take first place in our life. “The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Matt 13:46
Peter advises, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for< if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." 2 Peter 1:10 John adds, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." 1 John 2:15-17 "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification." 1 Thes 4:3 How are we sanctified? In His great prayer, Jesus, gives the key. "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17 As we immerse ourselves in God's Holy Word, we become more like Him. We grow spiritually into His image. "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Cor 13:8 David agrees, "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Ps 119:9-11 Solomon adds, "My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart."Pr 7:1-3 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Ecc 12:13 Rose

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