There’s a secret garden beyond the ivy where the roses pirouette and the lilacs play duets unto the stars. A secret passageway that only One can find. Where the fireflies line the steps ascending to the sky and the butterflies rest upon the water. The waters of love… the waters of life… The Tree of Life lights up the forest when the door opens.

Only Jesus has the access.

Do you want Him to give it to you?

You must follow Him first to receive it.

“I have come into My Garden, My treasure, My bride; I have gathered My myrrh with My spice. I have eaten My honeycomb and My honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk.” Song of Solomon 5:1

Jesus gives endless supply of nourishment to you when you choose Him as Lord.

The disciples understood this. Their needs were always taken care of when they were with Jesus.

In Matthew chapter 12 we see how the disciples are taken care of by Jesus in a situation where humanity is prioritized over Jewish law.

In this chapter, the disciples and Jesus are travelling from place to place doing ministry for the people. Healing, Teaching, etc.

In Matthew 12:1 the Bible says, “At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pick heads of wheat and eat them.”

This triggers a conflict with the Pharisees’ laws… which says that you cannot pick wheat on the Sabbath because it denotes a type of “work” that is forbidden. It’s important to point out: this was not God’s law, only man’s law. 

But Jesus, knowing their hunger from their travels, lets them pick all the wheat they want.

“He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” Matthew 12:3-7

When the laws of man interfere with wellbeing of people, Jesus breaks it.

“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12:8‬

Jesus is the Master. And He gets to gather from any garden and field He wants to.

“My Beloved has gone down to His Garden, to the flowerbeds of balsam spices, to graze in the gardens, and to gather lilies.” 

‭‭Song of Solomon‬ ‭6:2‬ ‭

Gather from Your garden Jesus… that we may share in your endless love… freely given from You and nurtured by You.

Jesus makes it clear to everyone in observance of this occurence here in Matthew 12 that He is Lord and what He says is the final word. 

Jesus talks to the Pharisees to help them understand why His word takes authority by asking them… “Have you not read…?”  It’s not the Pharisees’ knowledge that hinders them in this passage, it’s what they have failed to know about God… Yahweh… the Alpha and the Omega that they claim to follow… It’s this misalignment that blocks their vision of Jesus as the Messiah and distorts their understanding of God’s Law. They do not know Yahweh and they do not know the Torah very well. Rather, they have made it a priority to know their Mishnah and Talmud front and backwards. This is their manmade Laws prescribed to aid in accomplishing the Mosaic Law. But these manmade laws actually resulted in putting a chokehold on the people, restricting them from living free. Forcing them to follow rules God never said, which ends up hurting the people’s freedom. Don’t ever follow laws of religion God didn’t say. Heresy breeds from that. Death and toxic restraints follow. But Jesus came to give life in abundance and lighten your heart… He is a good God… so much better than we think He is. Free yourself from the rules placed on you God never said. And let His Words lead you into life… 

He said “I am gentle and lowly at heart and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29

Rest…

Soul refreshment…

Jesus liberates you.

Jesus gives life.

I love God’s Word because it give smy soul crisp clarity and direction. It prunes the garden of my heart and liberates me into passionate zeal for Him… the kind of love that He created us to have…

Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty… (2 Corinthians 5:17) and Jesus came to set you free from your sin so that you can live exponentially greater than before because of the Holy Spirit of God within you.

Submitting to God’s authority means that we let go of others expectations of us. Especially when their expectations limit and deplete us of nourishment. If the disciples would have followed the manmade laws, they would have been left starving and without food that day. No law that causes a human being to be malnourished in their mind, body or soul is a law from God. Thus Jesus tramples right over it.

Jesus calls the shots.

He makes the rules.

He is God.

Jesus’ expectations of you are for you to live freely in the greater joy He gives… it’s not an expectation of “do,” it’s an expectation of “receive.” This is the essence of the gospel! That Jesus came in a form of a man to be sin, who knew no sin, so that we could become the righteousness of God. We don’t have to muster that up… we just receive that and it’s imparted to us… liberating us into wild and beautiful growth in the Lord where our Garden blooms healthily and wholly from His touch.

Jesus empowers you to live holy… because His Spirit is the sunlight growing your Garden.

He is the Lord of the Garden.

As the passage goes on, Jesus keeps onward with His disiples after this collision with the Pharisees.  “Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue.” Matthew 12:9

I love Jesus’ confidence and authority to walk into the synagogue on His own accord. He’s in charge… and the Synangogue, or place of worship ultimately belongs to Him. That is His Garden. His House. His botanical oasis of life and redemption. And He will not let any conflict keep Him from proceeding forward on His mission. Nor will He let their accusations make him feel guilty about something He does not need to feel guilty about. Jesus is the standard, not man. This is why it’s so crucial to follow Jesus… Because He will not put pressure on you… and He will not limit you… but people will. God frees you to live and move and breathe for Him. Only God can send you on mission for His mission because it’s His mission. People are not the ones who measure us and that’s okay… we are all meant to yield to the Lord in that… because we need a perfect Measurer, someone who is not flawed nor biased nor blind to what is in us. God sees all. So God is the one who sees and approves of you.

“Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.” Psalm 27:3

You have every reason to be confident in who you are and the goodness within your heart… because God is with you. 

You are allowed to be joyful in what God gives.

God sees your purity.

Don’t worry about what someone else thinks.

Keep going forward with His light and approval adorning you… He shines all over you…

No one can interfere with His Word ultimately, because no other Word is the truth by which we live and breathe except for His. So let God be your authority.

Let God be Lord of your life… your heart… your soul… your Garden…

“And I will bring my people Israel back from exile.“They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.” Amos 9:14

 

in the Garden

where the sun rests

hummingbirds sing

into the night

where they climb

into the treetops

swaying with the stars

untill dawn

awaken

with a morning song

from angels above

given to the only One I love

Who does your Garden belong to?

My Garden belongs to Jesus.

And Jesus won’t let anybody into my Garden unless they pass His screening first…

God only sends His best. 

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”

Proverbs‬ ‭21:1‬

your heart flows

like wax dripping

from a burning candle

He melted

to form again

to reach the core

of your heart’s desire

God cares for the shores

of your soul’s fire

blazing

like an ocean

craving

more

God loves to give you more

my love is yours

his blessing

his reward

God turned your heart and sent you love because He approved to.❤️

Jesus is the One who walked you into the field… who brought you into the Garden… to meet your need for love.

It’s never too late for love… 

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

In the Garden of the Lord, the trees blossom at the right time… the flowers manifest at the right time… the animals of the forest live and breathe according to the appointed time they have been given to exist. All beautifully and intricately designed by the God who loves to make His ecosystem flourish vibrantly. Your life is a lovely ecosystem the Lord knows how to maintain… and He planned from the very beginning to plant these roses in your life… to bring the fruit trees to life at a specific time… to showcase the light of His love on you in every season just how He meant to. He has His best for you already planted in your Garden. Let Him bring it to life for you… embrace what He has for you.

When Jesus is your Lord… He provides for your every need. Outrageously. Lavishly. Unashamedly. 

I’m reminded of the words of Jesus speaking of the splendor of His creation and how He provides so effortlessly.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26

God knows how to take care of you… and because He does, you don’t have to look for your own provision without His help. He can do it for you. “Your Heavenly Father feeds them…” He says. Let your Father feed your needs. He knows what they are… He knows how to provide. When you entrust your life unto Him, you can trust Him with your heart and your soul and your garden. Every intimate part of your life, He knows about.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

God is a creative giver… He will give you what your heart really needs even if it’s in a way you never expected. And it will heal deeper than you anticipated. It will seem different than you would have planned. But God’s ways are not our ways… and His ways satisfy more and reach our hearts at the core in ways we need to be touched. God is allowed to do whatever He wants and give us whatever He wants. Let Him be God. And let go of what you thought it may look like. I’ve had to embrace the wild and untamed ways of the Lord in my life, for He surprises me so often. And when He does, I see it was just what I needed. I want Him to be Lord of my life because He is good at it. He is the Lord of my Garden. 

“The LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11

There is no shame in Jesus’ love given to us… it’s the pure in heart who see God Jesus said… who feel God… who hear God… who encounter God moving. It’s His Garden to oversee. His Garden to bloom and to release it nourishing love.

The pure in heart experience deep things of the Spirit. And I want to keep experiencing these deeper realities that the Lord has to impart. Our Spiritual life is the core of who we are as believers in Jesus Christ. Elevating our lifes to a place of Heavenly living… ecstatic living… filled with love and wholeness.

Come and gather from my garden, Lord… the roses and lilacs you blossomed only for your king. To channel your love through me… Enter your Garden, Lord, with Heavenly kisses from you. His love is meant for you… my love is only for you…

trickling from the fountain

of Heaven

Your waters flow to me

glowing deep

within the tree of life

You meant to plant in me

Your love 

is the sunlight

liberating me

to be your

Garden

love’s tranquility

“You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon.”

Song of Solomon 4:15