The Story of the Gardener

A child had a little garden in which she planted many flowers, but they never grew. She put them in, as she thought tenderly and carefully, but they would not live. She sowed seeds and they sprang up; but very soon they withered away. So she ran to her father's gardener, and when he came to look at it, he said, "I will make it a nice garden for you, that you may grow whatever you want." He fetched a pick, and when the little child saw the terrible pick, she was afraid for her little garden. The gardener struck his tool into the ground and began to make the earth heave and shake for his pickaxe had caught the edge of a huge stone which underplayed almost all the little plot of ground. All the little flowers were turned out of their places and the garden spoiled for a season so that the little maid wept much. He told her he would make it a fair garden yet, and so he did, for having removed that stone which had prevented all the plants from striking root he soon filled the ground with flowers which lived and flourished.

Just so, the Lord has come, and has turned up all the soil of your present comfort to get rid of some big stone that was at the bottom of all your spiritual prosperity, and would not let your soul flourish. Do not weep with the child, but be comforted by the blessed results and thank your Father's tender hand!

-Spurgeon

X-TRA

July is nearly over. Then comes August and then school! Time flies. Here are a few good articles to read and think about.

If I were John MacArthur... - Clint Archer is quickly becoming a favorite. Check out this article (although it was written several weeks back).

Can we be good without God? - Good question. Great response to the 'New' Atheists.

Book Hoarding - A parable.

4 Steps to Kill Sin - A helpful article.

We dont want to obey God, we want to be God. That's the title of this video. See what Driscoll means.

Truth becomes hard if it is not softened by love; love becomes soft if it is not strengthened by truth. The Apostle calls us to hold the two together, which should not be difficult for Spirit-filled believers, since the Holy Spirit is himself "the spirit of truth," and his firstfruit is "love". - John Stott

Being humble...

Being humble is not a matter of pretending to be worthless, but is a form of realism, not only regarding the real badness of one's sins and stupidities and the real depth of one's dependence on God's grace, but also regarding the real range of one's abilities. Humble believers know what they can and cannot do. They note both their gifts and their limitations, and so are able to avoid both the unfaithfulness of letting their God-given powers lie fallow [inactive] and the foolhardiness of biting off more than they can chew.

-J.I Packer

Spiritual Depression

Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones speaks about spiritual depression. I think anyone can profit listening to this video.