"Peace of Mind"

This is the 96^th letter:

Text for the day: Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Our Theme for the day: “Peace of Mind”

Our Devotional

One day before blackness covers the earth about the space of three hours, Jesus went to an upper room with His comrades. They had weathered with Him the attacks of the adversary and his ridiculers. The air of the world seemed to be darkening by an unseen hand of evil. At Jerusalem, the city of David, things where about to reach their boiling point, as the storm of darkness reached its fury. A few more hours were still to go until the faith of the disciples would be tested, and they did not know. Similarly years ago, a family was gathered for their evening meal in a comfortable home. The chickens are up, the cows where in their barns, and everyone was enjoying the hush of the evening. As all the family members where now in their beds, no danger they thought lurked to disturb their thoughts. No war or financial worries threaten their morrow. Little did they know that a few more hours were still to go until their faith would be tested, and they did not know it.

Then suddenly it happened, a storm with its tornadoes came through the town. In the morning as the sun came up the truth of the fury of the storm could be seen everywhere, through it all the family had great peace. In all things remember that Jesus understands your pains and is acquainted with your sorrows. His confident words are still, “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace Psalm 29:11. As Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure and the coming of the comforter in John chapter 14, He reminded them that He will not leave them comfortless but come to them in the spirit of peace. Jesus said, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid, John 14:27.

Today in the United States of America they are celebrating their Thanksgiving Day. But I wonder how many people stopped to give thanks to God this morning? The celebration of Thanksgiving is to remind them the people of the U.S.A of that first time the pilgrims gave thanks to God a year after they set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. It is said that their first winter was devastating. They lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast -- including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. These native Indians understood what it meant to live in peace with their fellow men. What lesson can we learn from those native Indians?

There is an old saying which goes like this, “Happy are those who have learned what real peace is – peace with God and with their fellow men. Happy are those who can live at peace with themselves, with their neighbors, and with God.” The message of the angels to the Shepherd’s on that silent night was peace on earth, good will towards all men. The only way for all to have peace in the family, church, and the community, is to have the prince of peace dwelling in the heart. To those who live in the fullness of God’s peace today, the Bible says soon we shall live in the abundance of peace. “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” (Psalm 37:11) As you gather with your family, friends, or communities today remember, God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. Now may the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 13:20-21)

Join us next time for another ray of sunshine from Garden Ministry.

Join us next time for another ray of sunshine from Garden Ministry.

We are into our 24th week since starting Garden Ministry; it is growing with new people asking to subscribe to it each day. If you are gaining spiritual muscle mass, and strength through Garden Ministry, and would like to help some-one else gain Spiritual muscle mass and strength also. Then send Garden Ministry your Testimony at, http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/ . Garden Ministry would love to share your Testimony with our faithful viewers and readers. So ask yourselves, which letter or message from Garden Ministry helped you to hold on to your faith, or helped someone else hold on to theirs? Our Prayer for today: Please join us as we pray for oneness of word and action among believers, that others beholding may say I have seen a Christian. Remember, you’re the only Jesus some will ever see. If you are blessed by these “uplifting gems”, share them. These letters are written by Elder Kevin Santucci For further information, comment or requests, E-mail Garden Ministry: http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/ Garden Ministry would love to thank you today for your prayers and continual faithfulness of sharing these letters with others like your self. Thank you for your insightful comments to Garden Ministry. If you love to leave a comment, go to our website at http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/ and then comment, follow the directions and then you will be finished. Truly I am encouraged how little can become much when you place it in the master’s hand. To all our faithful readers on behalf of the Garden Ministry team, we wish you Gods riches Blessings.

"Fear Not"

 

This is the 94^th letter: 

 

Text for the day: Genesis 15:1

After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

                                                                                                                                                                                          

Our Theme for the day: “Fear Not”

 

Our Devotional

 

An English scholar was traveling in India one day and saw a poor untouchable woman working in a paddy field under the blazing noon-day sun. As he turned around he asked his interpreter what an illiterate outcast like that could really understand about faith. The interpreter replied, “She understands that Christ is stronger than the demons and her fears.” Can you stop for a moment, and ask yourself how many people you know who are living in fear? Some of you may have named ten or more. On the other side, how many of those you had named are pointing to God? If God is love, which He is then “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love 1 John 4:18. In Genesis 15:1 we see the first occurrence in the Bible of the expression “fear not,” a command that is repeated many times.

Abram is seen sitting with his head looking down to the ground as he is thinking through the traumatic experience of his nephew lot and family being taken captive.  It’s not easy when bad news comes. After consulting God, Abram although not a man of war mobilized an army of 318 men, defeated the enemy, and delivered lot. As in many other fearful moments Abram trusted the assuring words of God, “fear not.” How many times shall God speak to you His anxious children, fear not? As you look to the future for you family, friends, working friends, country, and this world. God’s words to you and me are “fear not.” If you are looking for a remedy for your fears, look onto Jesus, for He is the antidote for all our fears. Finally, let us work in the foot steps of our patriarchs and prophets when they said, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. Remember as you go through your day today that, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7).

 

Join us next time for another ray of sunshine from Garden Ministry.

 

 

Join us next time for another ray of sunshine from Garden Ministry.

We are into our 23rd week since starting Garden Ministry; it is growing with new people asking to subscribe to it each day. If you are gaining spiritual muscle mass, and strength through Garden Ministry, and would like to help some-one else gain Spiritual muscle mass and strength also. Then send Garden Ministry your Testimony at, http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/ . Garden Ministry would love to share your Testimony with our faithful viewers and readers. So ask yourselves, which letter or message from Garden Ministry helped you to hold on to your faith, or helped someone else hold on to theirs?   Our Prayer for today:     Lord, help us to walk in your divine command to “fear not.”     Prayer Request     Today we have a prayer of thanks giving from Boston Massachusetts :   God has blessed me through this ministry. As a member and worker at my current church I needed inspiration on an issue and one day I was praying and asking God for direction and understanding about something and I came to check my email opened on edition of Garden Ministry and bamb! The answer was in the devotion - I said yes Lord, that's it that is what I was seeing and trying to describe to God and my colleague.     Thanks for your ministry.       Send your prayer request to Garden Ministry: There is much comfort in Jesus in the arms of prayer.                                                                Remember, you’re the only Jesus some will ever see.   If you are blessed by these “uplifting gems”, share them.   These letters are written by Elder Kevin Santucci   For further information, comment or requests, E-mail Garden Ministry: http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/   Garden Ministry would love to thank you today for your prayers and continual faithfulness of sharing these letters with others like your self. Thank you for your insightful comments to Garden Ministry. If you love to leave a comment, go to our website at http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/ and then comment, follow the directions and then you will be finished. Truly I am encouraged how little can become much when you place it in the master’s hand. To all our faithful readers on behalf of the Garden Ministry team, we wish you Gods riches Blessings.

 

"Occupy Till I Come"

This is the 94^th letter:

Text for the day: Luke 19:13

And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds,

and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

Our Theme for the day: “Occupy Till I Come”

Our Devotional

In our text today Jesus is seen sharing a parable with those at Zacchaeus house which has great implications for us who are living in these last days. From the birth of Jesus first miracle of turning water into wine, the people had their eyes fix on Jesus hoping He was the one to free them from their present kingdom. Now the time had come they thought, because He was close to Jerusalem for that Kingdom to come. Jesus knowing this could not leave the people hanging with a false hope. So He spoke another parable to them of a certain nobleman. Let me say at this point that there are many people like those in Jesus day, pursuing or living with a false hope. You ask the young men who are on drugs, they will tell you don’t try it because it is a false hope. You ask the lady who can’t wait to get home to spend the night away drinking alcohol, she will tell you I tried it once and now I can’t do with out it. If you ask any persons evolved in immoral activity, they will all say if they are honest with themselves and God that their moral compass is broken and they are living in a false hope. It was because of this false hope in the people that Jesus would unveil the mystery.

The story goes on to say that this nobleman went into a far country to receive unto him-self a kingdom and return. After giving His servants some of what he owned he left and said to all of them, "Occupy till I come" Luke 19:13. What does it mean to occupy until Jesus comes? The word “occupy” in this text means, “to carry on trade” Luke 19:15. Jesus begins by saying, there was once a man descended from a royal house that needed to make a long trip back to headquarters to get authorization for his rule and then return. But first he called ten servants together, gave them each a sum of money, and instructed them, “Operate with this until I return” Luke 19:12-13. It may be but a few years until our life's history shall close, but we must occupy till then. Christ would have everyone educate themselves to calmly contemplate His second appearing. All are to search the Word of God daily, but not neglect present duties, because His words are occupy till I come. Christ declared that when He comes some of His waiting people will be engaged in business transactions. Some will be sowing in the field, others reaping and gathering in the harvest, and others grinding at the mill.

It is not God's will that His elect shall abandon life's duties and responsibilities and give themselves up to idle contemplation, living in a religious dream. We must work, or carry on trade. “He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment” Proverbs 12:11. The word of God goes on to say, “Repair thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house” Proverbs 24:27. Without overworking, learn how to crowd all the good works you possibly can into your life today, and build on it God willing tomorrow. Finally, it doesn’t matter how much you love or hate God, as we see in Luke 19:14. When He comes again He will ask, what you have done with that I have given you. Have you invested your gifts or talents and received others, or have you kept them for your own selfish purposes? In verse’s 22 to 27 these earth shattering words are penned. “His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow?

Why then didn't you put my money, “gifts and talents” on deposit, so that when I come again, I could have collected it with interest?” Then he said to those standing by, take from him who has done nothing and give it to him who has most. Then Jesus said, to everyone who has, more will be given, and to those who have not increase what they have, even that will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them bring them here and kill them in front of me. “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” Matthew 24:51. Let’s make full proof of our work today, for the Master shall ask all of us, did you occupy till I come?

Join us next time for another ray of sunshine from Garden Ministry.

We are into our 23rd week since starting Garden Ministry; it is growing with new people asking to subscribe to it each day. If you are gaining spiritual muscle mass, and strength through Garden Ministry, and would like to help some-one else gain Spiritual muscle mass and strength also. Then send Garden Ministry your Testimony at, http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/ . Garden Ministry would love to share your Testimony with our faithful viewers and readers. So ask yourselves, which letter or message from Garden Ministry helped you to hold on to your faith, or helped someone else hold on to theirs? Our Prayer for today: Lord, take our hands and make them industrious for thee today. Prayer Request Let us pray for a private contractor who was working in Iraq when she was brutally gang-raped by coworkers. Four years later, she is still being denied justice. Send your prayer request to Garden Ministry: There is much comfort in Jesus in the arms of prayer. Remember, you’re the only Jesus some will ever see. If you are blessed by these “uplifting gems”, share them. These letters are written by Elder Kevin Santucci For further information, or requests, E-mail Garden Ministry: http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/

Garden Ministry would love to thank you today for your prayers and continual

faithfulness of sharing these letters with others like your self. Thank you for

your insightful comments to Garden Ministry. If you love to leave a comment,

go to our website at http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/ and then comment,

follow the directions and then you will be finished. Truly I am encouraged how

little can become much when you place it in the master’s hand.

To all our faithful readers on behalf of the Garden Ministry team, we wish you Gods

riches Blessings

May God answer your Prayers

 

This is the 93^rd letter: 

 

Text for the day: 2 Chronicles 7: 14

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

                                                                                                                                                                                          

Our Theme for the day: “The true Watchers and Prayers” (Part 12)

 

May God answer your Prayers

 

 

 

Our Devotional

Jesus taught His disciples that the promise of the Holy Spirit is not limited to any age, nation or race. Christ declared that the divine influence of His Spirit was to be with His followers unto the end. From the day of Pentecost to the present time, the Comforter has been sent to all who have yielded themselves fully to the Lord and to His service. Note, the Holy Spirit is given to those who are yielding their minds fully to the Lord. The second point is, the Holy Spirit is only given to them who are yielding themselves fully to the service of the Lord. As humans we put value on people we see doing a lot of work, or who have achieved great rewards for their work, But God values His children differently. God’s value of His children does not consist in making a loud noise in the world, being famous, zealous, eager, and active in our own strength. The value of which the Lord places on us and our work is in proportion to the impartation of the Holy Spirit.

The value of our work comes through trust in God, which brings holier qualities of mind, so that in patience we may possess peace with God. This leads us to prayer. We should continually pray to God to increase our strength, to make us strong in His strength, to kindle in our hearts the flame of divine love. The cause of God is best advanced by all who live in meekness and lowliness in heart. As servant leaders in the world today, you are being called to minister to those who are living in the high and low areas of the earth. The question is who will go? Today God’s voice is sounding to all in the earth, but who will answer? The work for these last days calls for a missionary mindedness. To God is waiting to send His Holy Spirit as a counselor, sanctifier, guide, and witness, to all who are longing for change. Today let us take heed of God’s words. Let us talk faith, and we shall have faith. Never give place to a thought of discouragement in your area of service. Never utter a word of doubt to anyone. It is our privilege today by God, to speak a word that will encourage our associates and fellow workers. It is our privilege to pray. May God answer your prayers to Him today.  

 

Join us next time for another ray of sunshine from Garden Ministry.

 

 

We are into our 23rd week since starting Garden Ministry; it is growing with new people asking to subscribe to it each day. If you are gaining spiritual muscle mass, and strength through Garden Ministry, and would like to help some-one else gain Spiritual muscle mass and strength also. Then send Garden Ministry your Testimony at, http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/ . Garden Ministry would love to share your Testimony with our faithful viewers and readers. So ask yourselves, which letter or message from Garden Ministry helped you to hold on to your faith, or helped someone else hold on to theirs?   Our Prayer for today:     Lord let us see your hand at work through our prayers today.     Prayer Request For the violence in our world today, that God will hold it back, until all His children are seal for Heaven.     Send your prayer request to Garden Ministry: There is much comfort in Jesus in the arms of prayer.     Remember, you’re the only Jesus some will ever see.   If you are blessed by these “uplifting gems”, share them.   These letters are written by Elder Kevin Santucci   For further information, comment or requests, E-mail Garden Ministry: http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/   Garden Ministry would love to thank you today for your prayers and continual faithfulness of sharing these letters with others like your self. Thank you for your insightful comments to Garden Ministry. If you love to leave a comment, go to our website at http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/ and then comment, follow the directions and then you will be finished. Truly I am encouraged how little can become much when you place it in the master’s hand. To all our faithful readers on behalf of the Garden Ministry team, we wish you Gods riches Blessings.

 

A lesson in prayer for today

This is the 92^nd letter:

Text for the day: John 17:21

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Our Theme for the day: “The true Watchers and Prayers” (Part 11)

A lesson in prayer for today

Our Devotional

The day had finally come for the power of the Holy Spirit to be poured out with great power. After the ascension of Jesus Christ, the disciples with a sudden revival of their old hope gather together in the upper room of a house to wait and pray for the promise the Holy Spirit to come. The number assembled ten days after their last sight of seeing Jesus, was about one hundred and twenty people. On those ten days of closeness, God would unveil for them their greatest need if they where going to functioning as a church. Let me say at this point, there are many churches in our world today which are open but are not functioning as a church. If the truth be told, we will all have to admit that they are dying, or already dead. As you go by these churches there is no growth by baptism or by birth, and it hasn’t been that way for years. What is preventing the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit which fails on the day of Pentecost from working among the members? What is holding back the fullness of the growth among the body of Christ? The answer could be found in the upper room of those early believers. In Acts 2:1 the scripture says, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” The first prerequisite for the Holy Spirit to fully work in the body of Christ is unity.

The call to be one or on one accord is not just for you, or a few! The call is for the entire body. Yet the will to be one and come out from your self is not an easy thing, but it is the right thing to do if we are going to be one. It is said of the early church that they were of one accord. They had no speculations; they had no strife, and neither was it permitted to take sway among them. No love of supremacy, no thought of self, was cherished; they where all one in Christ. The call to be one is for all who profess the name of Christ, it also includes the call to wait, watch, and be found praying with one heart. All differences should be put away; unity and tender love one for another will be seen among all. It is only then that our prayers may go up together to our heavenly Father with strong, earnest faith. Then we may wait with patience and hope the fulfillment of the promise to the disciples. God knows how and when to answer our prayer, but it is our part as servant leaders to put ourselves in connection with Him. The Bible says that God is faithful to His promise, and will be responsible for His part of the work. The great and important matter with us is to be of one heart and mind, putting aside all envy and malice, and, as humble supplication, to watch and wait.

Jesus, our Representative and Head, is ready to do for us, what He did for the praying, watching ones on the day of Pentecost if we would be one. The second prerequisite for the Holy Spirit to fully work in the body of Christ is being in one place. One place doesn’t necessary mean under the same roof or on the same ground all the time in scripture. When ministry became some what burdensome for Moses, in Numbers 16:16-17, God said unto him to gather unto the tabernacle of the congregation seventy men of the elders of Israel. To these seventy He will fill with the same spirit as His servant Moses that they may bear the burden of ministry. By the time we get to verse 24, we see the pouring out of the spirit of God upon sixty-eight round about the tabernacle. In verse 25 we see the evidence of that power as they prophesied in the camp. The big question in the mind of the onlookers was, were there not seventy chosen? What happened to the other two? The answer would be found in verses 26 to 30, let us read it. “However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp.

A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." Joshua the son of Nun who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and said, "Moses my lord stop them!" But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that the entire Lord’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!" Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.” The Bible doesn’t give any reason why these men where not there, but note how God still numbered them among the seventy. There is a lesson here, we need to be careful how we look upon people if they are called to a gathering and don’t show. Remember God is bigger than our one place mentality, because he is in every place. The record goes on to say of those early members of the first church, from that time forth the language of the disciples was pure, simple, and accurate in word and accent, whether they spoke their native tongue or a foreign language. These humble men, who had never learned in the school of the prophets, went on to present truths as elevated and pure as to astonish those who heard them. They could not go personally that day to the uttermost parts of the earth; but there were men at the feast from every quarter of the world, and the truths received by them were carried to their various homes and published among their people, winning souls to Christ. May God, bless you today, as you become one.

Join us next time for another ray of sunshine from Garden Ministry.

We are into our 23rd week since starting Garden Ministry; it is growing with new people asking to subscribe to it each day. If you are gaining spiritual muscle mass, and strength through Garden Ministry, and would like to help some-one else gain Spiritual muscle mass and strength also. Then send Garden Ministry your Testimony at, http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/ . Garden Ministry would love to share your Testimony with our faithful viewers and readers. So ask yourselves, which letter or message from Garden Ministry helped you to hold on to your faith, or helped someone else hold on to theirs? Our Prayer for today: Lord, make us one even as you are one. Prayer Request Last week if you remember we had asked for prayer for some of our readers to Garden Ministry. Unfortunately one of our reader’s brothers who was at Johns Hopkins Hospital for pneumonia and was on a life support machine passed away on Tuesday November 10, 09. On behalf of their family we thank you for your prayers, they really appreciated it. Let’s continue to prayer for them during their lost. Send your prayer request to Garden Ministry: There is much comfort in Jesus in the arms of prayer. Remember, you’re the only Jesus some will ever see. If you are blessed by these “uplifting gems”, share them. These letters are written by Elder Kevin Santucci For further information, comment or requests, E-mail Garden Ministry: http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/ Garden Ministry would love to thank you today for your prayers and continual faithfulness of sharing these letters with others like your self. Thank you for your insightful comments to Garden Ministry. If you love to leave a comment, go to our website at http://gardenministry.blogspot.com/ and then comment, follow the directions and then you will be finished. Truly I am encouraged how little can become much when you place it in the master’s hand. To all our faithful readers on behalf of the Garden Ministry team, we wish you Gods riches Blessings.